Life Changing Experiences
by Qwertymann
Summary: Garfield Logan is a very complicated individual. I didn't know what I was getting myself into. But I, Rachel Roth, feel I have the power to help him, as he has helped me more than I could ever repay. -ROBRK- -COMPLETE-
1. Chapter 1

**Life Changing Experiences**

**Chapter 1**

Detention is so God damn boring. Blah. I guess it was worth it. I'm not exactly what you'd call your goody-two-shoes girl. My name is Rachel Roth, and if you look at me the wrong way, you may end up in the hospital. Resulting damage included but not limited to: broken bones, fractured bones, punctured skin. Long story short – people don't mess with me because I'm a bad ass. And everyone in this school knows it. Hell, even teachers can be afraid of me. At least the shy ones. That's why the detention man is the hardest ass all around. He doesn't fear me at all, and that's a disappointment because I can't threaten my way out of detention like I did last week.

People might wonder why I just don't go to detention. If I could leave, I would. But it's getting to the point where if I left it wouldn't be some stupid suspension. They'd actually expel me if I skipped any more detentions. And I can't afford to do that.

So, here I am, sitting in this detention class alone, with that jerk Mr. Braxter reading the worst types of books anyone could ever think of. And I'd know, because I read a lot when I'm not in school. Ugh. 2:40. I still have 30 minutes left in detention. Why can't they make me do this at lunch? Me and my two friends hardly ever go to our classes. Sure, they're also bad asses, but neither of them are as feared as me.

The first is known as Tara. I don't even know her last name – or the other's for that matter. Not like I care anyway. The three of us are always together. But the stupid thing is I'm always in detention after school and neither of them is. I think Braxter has it out for me. If he does, when I get out of school… which may not be for a long time… he's going to wish he never crossed paths with me. But, that'll be in the future. Right now I have to entertain my mind some how being in detention. Anyway, Tara is a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She always wears jeans (I've never seen her wear any pants other than them) and t-shirts, but sometimes sweaters. She gushes about guys a whole lot, especially the cute ones. But she can be almost as cruel as I can be sometimes.

The second is named Kitty. Like Tara, she has blonde hair. And she has red eyes. Her eyes represent how hot her temper is. If you get on her bad side, you won't live to see tomorrow. But it's not easy to get on her bad side, so she can't be considered half as cruel as I can be.

As I was absentmindedly twiddling my thumbs, waiting to get out, the door opened and in walked a boy. He had dark blonde hair and tanned skin. I wasn't able to see the colour of his eyes as he was staring at that jerk. He sat down in the upper left-most desk, four ahead of the one I was sitting in.

"I'll be back," grunted that jerk. He left the room.

Now it'd be impossible to leave because one: the door is locked, and two: if he came back and I was gone, I'd be in serious trouble. I un-interestedly watched as the boy put his head down in his arms on his desk. He looked miserable. Whatever, not like I care. He wasn't even cute. Then again, I didn't see his eyes and that's a big determining factor for me. I closed my eyes, trying to relax. A headache was coming and it I hate headaches. But the silence that was there a moment ago was broken… by a gentle sound. Coming from the boy. It sounded like he was… crying? What the hell? We're in high school for God sake. Why the hell is he crying? Still, I can't stand people crying. No one knows about it, but that's my weak spot. I can be talked into anything from a person in pain. I have a gentle heart at times. And this was one of those times.

Cautiously, I stood up and walked over slowly. I put my hand on his shoulder. I felt his body tense and I could feel some sort of panic radiating off of him. He yelped and I backed off. He looked at me with the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. They were forest green and deeper than the ocean itself. The tears ruined it though. He quickly wiped the tears with the back of his hand and blushed from his embarrassment.

"You okay?" I asked. He gulped and slowly shook his head.

"I'm not," he said uneasily. Well, we never met before. They say first impressions are the most powerful. So I thought this guy was an emo. But he didn't dress like one, so that thought was thrown out of mind.

"What's wrong?" I asked carefully. I wasn't good at this kind of stuff.

"Listen, lady… I have no idea who you are." No idea who _I_ am? How can he have no idea who Rachel Roth is? "So, no offence, but I don't want to talk to you about it. Okay?" his eyes didn't meet mine at all. They drifted all around the room, never even once going on any part of my body.

"How do you not know who I am? Does Rachel Roth ring any bells?" I tried to ask it intimidating, but it came out as a monotone. I couldn't help it at all. I either speak in monotone or intimidation. And intimidation is not working right now, so my power was going down the drain. A lot about being feared is having the voice. Mine wasn't here right now, so this… guy won't be afraid of me.

"No, it doesn't. Forgive me, but… I'm new to this school. I'm an exchange student from Africa. I don't know anyone in this school. And I-… never mind. Look, I just want to be left alone right now, okay?" he sounded like he was pleading – no begging me to leave him alone. I shrugged and sat back down in my previous desk. He put his head down again, but at least this time he wasn't crying. At least I had an explanation as to how he doesn't know me. Well, he should know about me in a few days. Wonder what he's in detention for?

That jerk came back in and sat at his desk.

"Garfield Logan," he announced. The boy, whom I now know is named Garfield, looked up at the jerk. "I want you back here in detention for the entire week and Monday and Tuesday of next week. I think this seems suitable punishment enough for what you did."

"Yes, sir. Right away, sir." He said this rather quickly. I wonder what he did. He sounded almost too happy that he was coming here the rest of the week. I shook my head.

"Roth, you can leave," barked the jerk. I sighed and picked up my backpack and left, but not before glaring at the jerk. As I exited the door, I couldn't help but wondering why Garfield was crying. Damn it, my weakness will be the end of me one day.

I walked quickly to my locker. I needed to get out of here. I think Kitty and Tara should be waiting for me outside of school. I exited the school and took out a cigarette right away. God I needed one bad. I walked to the sidewalk and lit it and took a long puff. Sitting in detention gives me these unnatural urges to have a cigarette. As I walked slowly back to my house, I heard Kitty's voice.

"Rae-Rae!" she teased. God I hate when anyone calls me that. I turned fiercely around and glare at her. She's unfazed by it by now, though.

"What is it?" I ask through clenched teeth.

"Duh? Did you forget? We're going to the mall. Tara plans on stealing a lot today. That girl's fingers are the best in the world, don't you agree?" she asked while lighting up her own cigarette. I nodded my agreement. It was true. Tara could steal next to anything without getting caught. Her hands were faster than lightning. We never had any money, so she stole whatever we needed. From cigarettes to the latest issue of Goth Monthly. Now, I'm no Goth, but I like reading about them. And I am dark and creepy, or so I like to say. Kitty annoyingly disagrees.

"Where's Tara?" I asked.

"At her house. I waited here to get you. And MAN was it boring. How long are you in detention again for?" I sighed. Kitty was a great friend. Loyal. That's why she waited. Tara wasn't so loyal – which went perfect with her rebellious attitude and stealing of everything.

"Four more days. So, we're going there?"

"You know it, girl." We walked in silence for a few minutes. But Kitty seemed to be excited.

"What's with you? We always go the mall on Wednesday. It's nothing to get excited about."

"I know. It's not that. But, there's some fresh meat in the school," she smiled evilly. Well, it was the beginning of the year and a truckload of miner niners were coming to the school. So yeah, there was some fresh meat for sure.

"Of course. Lots of grade nines."

"No, Rachel. There's a boy… I don't know his name, but Tara just so happened to stumble upon a secret file," her evil smile still on her. That's a problem with Kitty. She's all bark and no bite. She'll get all worked up about doing some reckless stuff, and then she'll wuss out at the last second. Still, it was fun to listen to some of her ideas.

"Go on," I say a little interested.

"His name is Garfield Logan. He's an exchange student from Africa. The school has done well to hide the fact he came from Africa. Tara has the file at her house, and we'll let you read it." As she explained this, I was having an internal battle. Garfield Logan was definitely the boy I've seen in detention today. The same boy who was crying. I don't know why he was crying, but it might have been for a good reason. Maybe he had a crappy life? Regardless, I hardly nodded my head, not sure if it's okay to pick on him or not. I mean sure, he'd be real easy. I saw him. He looks weak. And from his tears earlier, he must weak emotionally. Would it be good to pick on him? I don't know. It'd be hard to convince these two to do otherwise. Maybe I should talk to him tomorrow in detention class, if that ass leaves… only time will tell. I also couldn't help but wonder why the school had kept the exchange a secret. I shook my head, hoping that the day at the mall will make them forget about it. But I have a strange feeling in the back of my neck that this won't be the end of it…

Hello, readers. Yes, I'm here with another story! This one a high school one. I know this may seem odd at first, and I'm doing a whole new character with Raven, but I assure you, this story might be my best one so far. It's already written a lot better than my other two chapter stories. Anyway, this will be a GarRae romance, but I'm taking a different approach on it. You'll just have to wait for further chapters to see what's going to happen. Hope you enjoyed.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Again I'm sitting in detention. But I have detention for only three more days. Can't wait to get out…

Well, about Garfield… I saw this secret file Tara had gotten her hands on. It just showed some basic information about him and provided a bit of background information. They insisted I take it and study it… I don't know why. But I memorized what it said now.

Name: Garfield M. Logan

Age: 17 (same age as me)

Born: March 19th, 1990

Hair colour: dark blonde

Eye colour: green

Garfield is a boy from a mother and father in Africa. He has no siblings and he was adopted. Nobody knows anything about his real parents. He used to attend an unnamed high school in Africa. He had been the target for many people to pick on, both emotionally and physically. He has had a rough life but he has been able to take it. Not much is known about his foster parents in Africa, but they did care for him well enough for a normal child to live in successfully in comfort. He is now stationed at an apartment building in Jackson Square. (Jackson Square is like the slums of the city. Worst place to live…) He lives there alone and everything is paid for and provided by the school.

That's all it said. And of course, it figures the school would place him in the most abysmal part of town to live in, too. Judging from the rather large piece of information the secret profile provided, it has been hard for me to decide if I want to mess with this guy at all. I mean, sure, he'd be easy and damn fun to mess with. But, something about yesterday just got to me some how. He sat on that desk and cried, and I didn't miss it. Now I know a little about why he may be crying. He could be just missing his foster parents from Africa… or it could've been from being lonely.

I stopped thinking about reasons as to why he could've been crying as he entered the room, his head looking at the ground. He sat down in the same desk, probably not noticing me again. That jerk, Braxter, left again. I wonder where he goes… anyway, I should talk to this boy. I've been thinking about him far too much. I shouldn't be one to think of a person so much times. But he was able to do something no one else can: make me feel sorry for another human being. From the information given by that file thing, it was heart breaking. And now he's in this city all by himself. It's just so sad. God, what's wrong with me? I swear I'm turning into a softie. Regardless, I had to talk to him. I have to figure out some stuff. Normally I don't take an interest to people, but damn it there was something about him.

"Garfield," my monotone voice sounded. His head jerked up and turned to look at me, his eyes meeting mine for the first time. It's true. His eyes were even more beautiful when tears didn't ruin them. "For whatever reason you were crying yesterday, I'm sorry. I know I acted a little forward, but I only did want to try to help." Did those words just come out of my mouth…? I didn't even mean to say them. But I guess he does need to see a little human compassion from someone other than foster parents. He nodded his head in understanding. He turned around and I felt a little disappointed, but he turned around again.

"Your name was Rachel, right?" I nodded my head slightly. "Thank you, Rachel. You're the first one to ever say something like that to me." The first one…? What?

"What do you mean first one?"

"I don't trust you enough to tell you that. But in my whole life, you are the nicest person who has ever talked to me. Even yesterday. I wanted to tell you that after you left, but that jerk had me stay a little longer." That jerk? Great minds think alike, I suppose… "And I acted a little defensive yesterday, since you… well, you know… caught me crying." He sounded embarrassed. Well, it wasn't anything to be embarrassed about. But he did think he was alone, and I guess that was embarrassing. "So, thanks again."

"You're welcome," my monotone voice sounded again. Those are two words I thought I'd never hear. I can't tell him about the secret file. He doesn't need to know about it anyway. I guess that would conclude our conversation today. There was nothing else I could think of to say, and I guess he couldn't either. He turned around and put his head down again. I don't think it'd be a good idea to do anything to Garfield. He seems nice and that file even said he had a rough life. I don't think he deserves any shit like that. But convincing Tara's going to be the hard part… but Kitty will agree.

I got out of detention 20 minutes later. Garfield was still in there. Poor boy. Now that I made my decision, hopefully I'll be able to get him off my mind. As soon as I exited the school, I lit up a cigarette and started walking home. I heard Kitty's voice again.

"So boring, Rae. Why are you always in detention?" she asked me.

"You two are never in detention, no matter what we do," I stated as if I were saying the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why don't you just skip it like you always used to?"

"And risk getting expelled? I can't afford that."

"But you haven't told us why," she whined. She was like a child sometimes…

"Because I just don't want to get expelled, alright?"

"Why is it so bad if you get expelled?"

"Never mind. I have more important things to talk about," I said.

"OH! Me too. Tara figured out what apartment Garfield goes to. So what we're gunna do is raid his house when he's at school." Raiding his apartment? We've done this a few times. Never get anything good from it though. "And smash up the place. He'll never know who did it, and he won't say jack shit about it either. He's too secluded," she said. I could hear the evilness in her voice. It's interesting how she jumped to that conclusion rather quickly.

"I don't know," I said with my usual monotone.

"Don't know what, Rae-Rae?"

"Shut the hell up, KITTEN." She hated being called Kitten, just like I hated being called 'Rae-Rae'…

"YOU BITCH!" she screamed as she knocked my cigarette out of my mouth and stomped in it. She stuck her tongue out at me and I sighed.

"You owe me a smoke," I stated dryly. She stopped walking for a second.

"How do you do that?" she squealed. I raised my eyebrow and stopped.

"Do what?"

"THAT! 'You owe me a smoke,' is what you say after I knock it out of your mouth!"

"I don't follow."

"Never mind." We walked in silence for a few more minutes. I needed to convince Kitty before I convinced Tara, or else it'd never work. We have a pact where if one of us doesn't want to do something, but the other two do, we will do it. We decided on that a few years back. The same goes the other way around. If I can convince her to not do it, then no matter what Tara says we won't.

"Kitty," I stated.

"Hmm?" she responded like she wasn't all there.

"I don't want to raid Garfield's apartment."

"WHAT? Why not?"

"Because I don't think he deserves it." She looked at me as if I grew a tail.

"W-what did you just say?" she asked. I could tell she was probably confused. And with good reason too. I'm not one to show compassion for others, usually. And none of us had ever backed out of a house raid before. They were daring and if we got caught, we could go to prison for a few years.

"He doesn't deserve it. So let's not do it."

"He doesn't deserve it?" she whispered, repeating me. "Rachel, since when do you decide what people deserve and what people don't deserve? This Garfield is like… he's like the golden plating. We can raid his house, and he wouldn't do anything about it, given the information from that file. We can pick on him all we want at school, and he won't say anything about it. He's a GOLD MINE."

"I don't care if he's 'easy'. I don't care if it will be fun. He is off my list for doing anything to. And I will refuse to do anything to him." We both stopped, and glared at each other. She sighed.

"Fine, we won't raid his house!" she yelled, and ran off towards her own house. I guess we're not going to Tara's house tonight. At least she agreed with me, so I don't have to worry about Garfield. Good. Now I can have a full night's sleep instead of thinking about what would happen if we actually _did_ do something to him. Hm, on second thought I should go to Tara's and explain what happened. She's not going to like it, but at least Kitty agreed with me.

I walked up the wooden door and knocked loudly on it. I waited until it opened and came Tara's face in view, looking as goofy as usual. "RAE!" she yelled and hugged me tight. I swear, every time I see this girl she gives me a hug. But I don't stop it. It's a little nice.

"Hey Tara," I greeted. I walked in her house.

"Where's Kitty?" she asked worriedly.

"She went home, because something upset her." I looked at her face seriously as she turned around from closing the door.

"What upset her?" she asked. She motioned for me to follow her up to her room. Once we got in there, which posters of every guy she thinks hot covered the walls, and sat down on her bed, I finally answered her.

"I did," I said quietly. She raised her eyebrow.

"How?" she asked.

"I told her I don't think it would be a good idea to raid Garfield's house. And now, well I guess I'm telling you that too. She got pissed at that, screamed at me, and then stormed off." I know Tara won't be happy about this, but she's more mature than Kitty. She looked like she was thinking for a minute, and then nodded her consent.

"I'm not happy about it, but I think I understand… you _LIKE _him, don't you?!" she screeched. Oh God… what was I thinking, more mature than Kitty? This is worse. I rubbed my forehead.

"No, I don't like him," I stated simply.

"Come on Rae! Everyone knows you won't pick on a boy if you like them!" she walked over to her drawer and pulled out a pad. She threw it and it hit my knee. I looked down at it.

"What's this?"

"It's his address! I think you need it more than me. Because you got a boyfriend now! Ooooh, I'm so happy for you!" Damn it, she was worse than Kitty at times.

"I do not have a boyfriend and I don't _LIKE_ him, okay?!" I shouted, standing up.

"Whoa, Rachel. Calm down, I was just teasin'. How come you don't want to raid his house if you don't like him?" Uh-oh. This was bad. I can't tell her about the crying.

"First of all, it's not just raiding his house. I refuse to do anything to him, because I don't think he deserves it," I watched her expression. Nothing. I couldn't tell what she was thinking at all. She shrugged.

"Okay, we all have our reasons. I won't prod why you don't want to do it. But I have a funny feeling about it. I didn't really want to do it either," she stated quietly. I nodded my head. Thank God that was other with. Nobody wants to go through with it, so we won't. I guess it was easier to talk them out of it than I expected.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Now that the Garfield situation has been taken care of, I've been able to sleep peacefully. But, I have caught myself thinking about him from time to time. I don't know why – and I at least know I definitely don't like him. His eyes are beautiful, sure, but that doesn't mean I like him. I'm not shallow when it comes to that. I think it's because of what I've learned about him. He seems depressed every time he walks into detention. Maybe he's sad about the detention? I don't know. I kind of want to know more about him. So that's why I decided today, I'll try and talk him into being friends. It's not usually my style to go out and make friends right away – and people fear me, so it's not like they want to talk to me in the first place. But, Garfield is different. I can become friends with him because he doesn't know anything about me. Plus, I'm actually concerned for him.

Sure enough, Garfield walked in the detention class, looking as depressed as usual. He slumped in the same desk again and buried his head in his arms yet again. I hope that ass leaves. Or else I won't be able to talk to him until after detention, and that means waiting for him. It would look odd if I were to wait for him. Then again, it would be a little awkward if I just walked up to him and asked if he wants to be friends. Still, I don't want him doing something drastic like cutting himself, or worse.

A few minutes passed by before Braxter finally left. Thank God. So all I gotta do is ask him if he wants to be friends. Simple enough, right? Well, not really. I'm not good at this kind of stuff. I don't talk to people and ask them to be friends. So, what line should I start with? What exactly should I say? I don't know…

"Hey, Rachel," I heard his soft voice. It snapped me out of what I was thinking about.

"Yes?" I responded.

"How come you're in detention for?" Well, that was unexpected.

"I'm in detention because… well, you won't judge me, will you?" I asked a little timidly. That's strange. I don't care about people judging me. Why should I care about why he will judge me or not? I don't care if Tara or Kitty judges me. Maybe because he's a male. I don't know exactly why.

"No, of course not." I sighed.

"Okay, then. I- actually, my friends and I… we beat up a girl. Badly." His eyes widened at these words.

"Why?" he asked. His voice sounded like his throat was dry. That, come to think of it, was a good question. He watched me with those bright green eyes. They felt like they pierced through my very soul. Why _did_ we do it?

"I… I don't know," I admitted truthfully.

"You… you don't want to hurt me, do you?" he closed his eyes tightly.

"No, I don't."

"Heh, okay… I was just making sure," he said. He scratched the back of his neck, and I nodded slightly. "So you beat her up for no reason?"

"I… I guess," I stammered. Damn it. I never stammer…

"That's not good. Maybe you should apologize to her?" I bowed my head.

"It's not that easy, Garfield."

"What do you mean?" I didn't want to tell him yet. Not until we're at least friends. Besides, it'd probably be better if he found out some way other than me.

"I don't think I can tell you that… yet," I responded.

"What do you mean?"

"It's a lot more complicated."

"No, I meant by 'yet'," he questioned nervously. Well, I guess I should tell him.

"Because I want to make new friends, and was wondering if you wanted to be my friend," mostly the truth.

"Well I have no other friends here. So I guess you could be my first," he said. He didn't sound too thrilled and the smile he put on that didn't seem very enthusiastic either. Still, it was a positive answer. "Besides, I'm a real shy guy and won't make many friends because I usually rely on other people." I nodded. There has been a question bugging me for a while though.

"Garfield?"

"Since we're friends now, call me Gar. Please. I dislike 'Garfield'."

"You shouldn't dislike your own name your parents gave you," I said. Crap, I mentioned his parents… but he doesn't know that I know about his parents at least. Still, I could've done better to not mention them. Although his face didn't show any signs of hurt or remembrance or anything of the like.

"Yeah, I know. I guess you're right." Just as I was about to ask why he was in detention, the doorknob started moving, so I said the first thing that came to mind.

"Meet me outside of school at the front after you get out of detention, okay?" I whispered quickly. He nodded his head and turned around and put his head down again. Damn it, why does he always do that? I don't like seeing him like that. He definitely needs a friend to show him life isn't always shit. Or maybe three friends? I hope Tara and Kitty will be as inviting as I am.

"Roth, get out," the jerk barked behind a book. I stood up and glanced at Garfield as I walked out and he looked up from his head down. He nodded ever so slightly and I walked out of detention. Kitty should be waiting for me outside of the school. As I got out and lit up a cigarette, I saw her unmistakable blonde hair.

"Hey, Rae. Sorry for yesterday," she said meekly.

"It happens."

"So, we still cool?"

"Always," I responded taking a drag. "Kitty, I'm bringing Garfield with us to Tara's tonight." I watched her expression go from neutral to surprised anger.

"WHAT?!" she yelled. I hope this won't be a repeat of yesterday.

"Don't you think it would be nice to have a new friend?" her expression was the same, only now she looked stupid for holding it for so long. She shook her head very slowly.

"Tell me you're joking," she demanded forcefully. Who does she think she is, using force like that on me? She knows I could easily kick her ass.

"I'm not joking. Do you have a problem with it?"

"YES! I do! First, we plan on raiding his house but you have to go all protective bitchy self-righteous Raven. And now he's coming to Tara's tonight? TONIGHT?! I can't believe you, Rachel. What's going on with you? Are you really Rachel?"

"Are you done ranting? Garfield seems like he can use some good friends."

"Rae, look at us. We practically own this school. We are not, by any means, good friends to anyone other than each other. Do you get it? We're not meant to have other friends!" she was getting childish. She was fuming. I got on her bad side. And remember what I said about her bad side? At least she can't hurt me.

"We're not meant to have any other friends? You sound a little disappointed," I said calmly as I threw my cigarette butt away. Her eyes seemed to burn with actual fire. I can tell she wants to hurt me. She won't be able to though.

"FINE! Wait here by yourself. I'm going to go to Tara's! See you there, bitch." She stormed off with those words. Honestly, she can be so immature sometimes. Then again, I guess so can I. But I at least can keep it in small amounts. I turned my head as I heard the school door open and out walked Garfield.

"Hey, you wait long?" he asked in that kind voice of his.

"No, it's alright. Come on, I'm going to introduce you to two of my friends. Maybe we can all be friends, if they're willing to accept you," I said as we started walking towards Tara's.

"Okay. What if they don't accept me?"

"I'm pretty sure they will. With a little convincing, of course. Kitty's been childish lately. My friends are Kitty and Tara. Kitty has red eyes and Tara has blue eyes. They both have blonde hair."

"Okay, sounds cool. Are you sure I won't be, ya know… intruding, or something like that?" I smirked at his words.

"Don't be silly. It's about time we met new people."

"Sounds great," he said smiling. First time I've seen him smile. He has a nice smile. We walked the rest of the way to Tara's house in relative silence.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 

Well, time for the moment of truth. We approached the door to her house.

"Are you nervous?" I asked him.

"Very," he responded quietly. "It's not often people want to be my friend."

"Don't worry, Garfield. I at least know I want to be your friend if these two don't," I said in a… kind tone. A _kind_ tone. Not a monotone. I haven't heard myself speak like that for… the last time I spoke to my mother. He smiled a huge smile at me.

"Thanks, Rachel."

"No problem," I said again in my monotone. I finally knocked on the door. A whole minute passed. Then another minute. Then finally, the door opened. And there was standing Tara with a neutral face. It didn't exhibit goofiness that it usually does. She stuck out her hand to Garfield.

"Tara." Garfield didn't take it though, but he only responded with his name.

"Garfield." Tara nodded at him, and he in turn nodded back at her. Her face turned to me and she winked at me so Garfield couldn't see. I glared at her…

"Hey, um… are we going in? It's a little chilly out here," Garfield interrupted our glaring contest. It was chilly. After all, it was December already.

"Oh of course!" screeched Tara in her most girlish voice she could muster. I walked inside, Garfield hesitantly behind me. He removed his shoes and I did the same. After that, I lead him upstairs into her bedroom. Now this is what I've been… not so looking forward to. Tara walked in, and there was Kitty sitting on her bed. She was looking as angry as ever still. I assume Tara calmed her down though. She has that affect on people.

"Hi," Garfield said quietly to Kitty, who continued her glare at me. All she did was grunt in response. "So, I'm Garfield. Rachel told me a bit about you two. Tara and Kitty. Nice to meet you. Rachel is very kind to me and I hope you two are as well," Garfield said. It was an interesting introduction. When he said the word nice, I felt my stomach tingle. It's an odd feeling when someone talks about you being nice to them when you're anything but. All Kitty did was nod, never breaking her glare. There was an awkward silence. "So, what do you girls do for fun around here?"

"Oh the usual. Steal stuff, beat people up, cause havoc and chaos wherever we walk," Tara responded as if it were every day conversation.

"Tara, maybe it wasn't a great idea to tell him in such a way where it's as if we seem like the worst people in the world," I said trying to defend us. Moreso myself, however.

"Why, Rae? We're always causing havoc. That's why we're the feared three. No one comes within ten feet of us," Kitty said this still with her glare. She was pissed at me more than any other time in her life. I don't know why. It's just a new friend… right? I looked at Garfield and he had an expression of deep thought on.

"Feared three? So, like, you're supposed to be feared?" Garfield asked. All three of us nodded at the same time. But, something has been nagging in the back of my head recently. I don't know exactly what it is yet, but every time I talk about being 'feared', I feel uncomfortable. It's been very recently. To my, and the other girl's surprise, he started laughing. I felt embarrassed. Why was he laughing? Why was I embarrassed? What are the other two going to do?

"Haven't you heard of any so-called rumours about Tara, Rachel and Kitty? Or RTK as some might say it," Tara said a little hostile to Garfield. He shook his head, probably missing the intimidation in her voice. "Well, 90 of those aren't rumours. Anything you hear about us is probably true. We're the talk of the school; hell, half the freakin' city knows about us!" Tara smiled proudly and possibly smugly at her own words of how our reputation precedes us.

"Well, I haven't heard anything about you."

"What the hell do you do at school?!" Kitty shouted, obviously angry. Now she was taking her anger out on other people. God, she can really get on my nerves sometimes. Surprisingly, I did something I wouldn't expect to for a million years. I defended him.

"Why are you snapping at him like that?" I said through clenched teeth, getting angry. She looked at me stupefied.

"Garfield," Tara cut in. "Could you go downstairs and wait on the couch for five minutes? We need to talk in private," Tara said uncharacteristically cold for her. "No one is home, so make yourself comfy," she added just as darkly. I could hear Garfield gulp and he probably nodded, as I didn't hear anything else. As I heard his footsteps slowly fade away, Tara moved behind me and shut her door. She looked at me deeply in my eyes.

"Rae, what the hell is wrong with you?" she asked sincerely.

"You're not acting like yourself," Kitty said angrily. Okay, so what is this? Good cop, bad cop?

"What do you mean?" I asked in monotone again.

"Well," Tara started in her gentle tone again. "You invited Garfield over without any consent from either of us."

"And what the hell happened to our pact?!" Kitty yelled unnecessarily loudly. Damn, I forgot all about it…

Wait. Forgot about it? How? I never, ever forgot it in the past.

"Moreso," Tara again said. "What freaks me out the most is that you're kind to Garfield. You defended him. You just… I don't know. Treat him… better," Tara finished quietly, turning away. She probably had tears in her eyes. Kitty just had her glare at me still on. I sighed. I didn't know what was going on. But I think I have a concept. I'm… starting to grow up.

"You know, I need to think this through better. Garfield and I are going to leave. I think I need to have alone time with him to process what's going on. Maybe I'll be able to know for sure tomorrow," I explained. The two girls in unison nodded, Kitty's glare finally fading. Good, I need to figure out what's wrong with me. If I am growing up, then I'm not ready for it yet. I nodded once to each of my friend's, and I left to the primary floor, where I saw Garfield sitting down in the couch.

"Listen, Garfield," I said as I approached him. He looked at me, eyes and face serious. He probably was bracing himself for bad news. "You and are I going to leave this house, and just go hang out by ourselves. Is that okay with you?" He doesn't need to know the truth yet.

"Alright, sounds good." That was unexpected. I at least expected him to question why. But he got up and we went to the door, got our shoes on and exited. No Tara to show me, or us, out today. We walked down the street in comfortable silence for a while, until he finally broke it. "They don't like me, do they?"

"I can't say if they like you yet or not. But, what I can say they don't like is my behaviour."

"What do you mean?" I sighed. Am I ready to tell him more about myself? After a few moments of walking contemplating, I decided yes. Friends tell each other things about themselves.

"Well, I'm not acting like my every day self. Normally, I don't stand up for people. In fact, I'm the one putting them down. So to defend someone isn't my style. I'm like… well, I guess you could say the bully." It wasn't the first time I referred to myself as the bully. But it was the first time I felt ashamed. I didn't know why. What's wrong?

"I think I understand. They wanted to talk to you about that without having to also have me there. Because… it's up to you to decide if you want to tell me this." Wow, he was smarter than I thought at first. He caught on quickly. He stopped walking and looked at me. I looked at him and nodded. We stood in awkward silence, holding each other's gaze. I looked away, scolding myself for looking into his eyes for so long. Our walk continued.

"Garfield, I want to ask. Why are you in detention for?"

"Oh that… well, I didn't do anything. Some punk framed me. I think his name was Devin. I can't remember exactly though. He did it for no reason. I don't even know what exactly he did. I just know I was standing near a crying girl with a… condom in my hand, and a teacher saw me," he finished the end quietly.

"Why the hell were you standing with a condom in front of a crying girl?"

"I don't know. Devin told me to hold it, I didn't even know what it was nor did I bother reading the package. Next thing I know, he's gone and there's this crying girl next to me. A teacher walks by, sees it, and throws me in detention. I'm just glad I didn't get anything worse than that," he explained. So that's why he seemed so happy to only be in detention. "Hey, Rachel don't take this personally but I'm going home. I have something… important I have to do." He explained this almost too fast to catch. I stopped myself from cringing. Not because he was leaving, but because of… "So, I'll see you tomorrow in detention? We can hang out tomorrow, I'm free all day."

"It sounds great, Garfield." I smiled again at him as he smiled at me, and he went towards the bus station and I went towards my home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Saturday, thank God. I'm up early today. But, it's for good reason. Saturdays I need to get out of the house. There's no way I'm staying in on a weekend. And I'm up at… 5:30 A.M. I know it's a little ridiculous, and even on school days I just get up at usually 7:30. But I have to leave. Have to leave… before _he_ wakes up. I know Tara and Kitty usually hang out on Saturday for some alone time, just like usually Tara and I do on Sunday and Kitty and I on Monday just to be better friends. It's not always this that happens, but this Saturday there was no difference. I crept in past… _his_ room, and reached the door without waking _him_. I breathed a sigh of relief as I caught the next bus to Jackson Square.

Yeah, I'm going to see Garfield. I know it sounds strange, but… he's actually turning out to be a better friend than I'd have ever thought. He's not like Tara or Kitty. He seems much deeper than those two and, okay I'll admit he's cute. He's also very nice, or so it seems so far. Although I'm pretty sure I don't like him. I can't fall for someone… not again. I'm not ready for it. Not with what happened before.

You see, a long time ago… well, four years ago, I thought I fell love in with this boy. His name was Rory and we used to hang out all the time. He asked me out and I said yes because I thought I loved him all this time. But, that bastard did the most irreversible damage ever possible. First off, he cheated on me… with both males and females. But I didn't figure this out until… after… he took my virginity. The next few weeks were all hell, and I hear rumours about Rory dating the most popular girl in school – Karen Beecher. I felt sick to stomach and I questioned him as soon as I seen him. He broke up with me within a few minutes after that. He didn't even say if he was cheating on me or not. Like hell if I care now, but back then it broke my heart. It still hurts to this day because sometimes I see him walking by holding her hand, and he even rubs it in my face. I bet he has no idea what kind of damage he did to me. Nor does he care. But… I don't do anything to him. I don't have the heart to hurt him. He once held my heart, but never again will I be too trusting. We were friends for years, and he never lied to me. Now I'd like to see him burn in Hell for all eternity.

I mean sure, what I do is pretty bad, but nothing I do causes a lifetime of damage. I shook my head out of the thoughts as I looked at the pad and checked the building name. It was easy to find. I hope Garfield won't be too alarmed that I unexpectedly visited him. What if he's not home? Well there's no _way_ in Hell I'm returning home until late at night. As I walked in the main area and approached the receptionist, her long red hair seemed vaguely familiar. Her head was face down, buried in some paper work or another. Her name tag read 'Kory Anders'. I cleared my throat to notify of my presence. She looked up with a big smile that quickly faded and I felt sick to my stomach.

Sitting at the desk was the girl we beat up days before of which I got into detention for. Never in my life have I felt so ashamed.

"Y-y-yes?" she asked like we had never met before. But no. Garfield is right – I should apologize.

"Kory, listen. Although I did not expect you to be here, I need to talk to you. Will you hear me out?" I actually managed to sound a little kind. She nodded her head slowly. She was a naïve girl, and I guess that's why it was easy to take advantage of her by beating her up. From her fear, I think I'll have to retract my earlier statement of lifetime damage to some degree. Anyone can get over a fear. But a broken heart is so much worse. Still, this wasn't time to sulk over the past. I sighed, getting ready for the tough speech ahead. "I'm… sorry for… hurting you. Only recently have I actually been feeling… different about my actions. And I just want to know that I am truly sorry for what I did to you earlier." I waited as she looked at me like she saw a ghost. She was still afraid of me. I held out my hand and she flinched.

"I-I-I am not to converse on p-p-personal levels… d-during my w-w-w-work," she managed to squeeze out. Poor girl, she was terrified out of her mind. Well, since that approach didn't work, maybe this one will.

"Okay, to be even, you can throw your best shot at me and I won't do anything to block it or anything to hurt you afterwards. And please, I want to deal with this now. It's been bugging me quite a bit." I eyed her, and she seemed to be considering it.

"Revenge is not only for the foolish, but also for the weak." That was insightful. She may be naïve, but she was also intelligent. She also didn't sound as scared.

"Listen, I promise that I'll never hurt you again, unfortunately I can't say the same for my friends," I told her comfortingly. But for some reason, when I said friends I spat it out like bile.

"How can I trust you?"

"You can trust her, Kory. I promise." We both turned our heads to see Garfield standing at the doorway.

"If friend Garfield says so, then yes I will trust you," as she said this I could sense no fear coming from her voice. Hell, she even sounded kind saying it. And it's a good feeling when someone talks to you with respect. But not just respect because you're feared, but respect because you're actually… _nice_. I gave her a small smile. "What are you here for then, Rachel?"

"Actually, I was here to visit Garfield. But since he came down, I guess you won't be needing to do anything." I turned my head to Garfield. "Is now a bad time?"

"Not at all, Rachel! Come on up, I'll show you my room." I smiled and we proceeded up to his room, but he stopped and looked back at a kind of sad-looking Kory. "Hey, Kory, you want to come up and see as well?" she squealed at this.

"It would be most glorious friend!" She shot up and gripped him in a hug that looks like it would crush a few bones.

"K-Kory," he expressed exhaustedly. Probably out of breath. She let go and smiled sheepishly.

"I am sorry," she apologized while bowing her head.

"Well, let's not waste any more time," Garfield proclaimed while leading the way. Unfortunately, he lived on the top floor and there were _no_ elevators in this building at all. And that's a problem with 15 floors…

As we climbed up staircase after staircase, some questions started bugging me.

"Kory, won't anyone notice you're missing?"

"Oh, I may take short breaks whenever I please. It is a real easy job, and I do not get hassled much over it. Plus, not a lot of people visit this place."

"Not to mention you've already been working for five hours." Wow. Five hours? And it's only… 6:00 A.M., my watch read.

"Yes… actually, I am officially off now." She smiled brightly at us.

We finally managed to reach the top floor. Both Kory and I were breathing hard, but Garfield barely seemed fazed at all from the huge trek up the stairs. He opened the door and we walked in. It was a small apartment, but it seemed cozy. Surprisingly, it was _very_ clean and neat. There was a simple chair and small couch with a television set planted a few feet away from it. Beside the lazy boy chair was the walkway into the kitchen with a refrigerator and a microwave oven. Further beyond that was a large room, most likely the bedroom because there was a bed in there. The foot of the bed was pointing towards another door, which could only be the bathroom. Only four rooms, but each room was generously sized. Oh, and one final glass door leading to the balcony. It was very cozy.

"Please, sit down. I'm going to make some Kraft Dinner. I haven't any breakfast yet, and well that's the only thing I can offer to two fine ladies as yourself," he said half-serious, half-jokingly. _Fine_ lady? No one has ever called me that… except that one guy, but he ended up with a broken leg. No one calls me that. So why do not care that he's calling me fine? Instead, I blushed. But my face was hidden. Kory seemed to be enjoying his flirting.

"That's the finest you have? I guess this is a two-star restaurant," I said jokingly. Kory seemed to get a kick out of it and starting giggling uncontrollably while Garfield just smiled again at me. He has a nice smile.

A couple minutes later, the Kraft Dinner was ready. I took a large amount because I was starving, and I'm not afraid to eat a lot when I want to. Who's going to tell me otherwise? Besides, he made a lot of Kraft Dinner. He's probably living off this stuff…

"So, Rachel… what brings you here today?" Garfield asked before stuffing more food in his mouth.

"Uh, well it was Saturday, I had nothing better to do and I wanted to catch up," I told him.

"Catch up? We hung out yesterday. What's there possibly to catch up on?" I blushed at my embarrassingly silly mistake.

"Friend, there is always more to catch up on. You had spent time apart; therefore, new things have happened in your life. There is always something to catch up on." Thank you Kory. You saved me from embarrassment. I'll have to tell her later. Garfield placed his hand on his chin, imitating a thinker's pose.

"Yeah, but sometimes some of that stuff isn't important or is unnecessary to talk about."

"But you said you had something important to do," I said smirking at him. He scratched the back of his neck, blushing.

"Uhm, about that… yeah, well… I'm not telling you!"

"Perhaps you would like to tell me, friend?" Kory asked him. He flushed again and looked down, playing with a single noodle left on his plate.

"Maybe another time. It's… a little embarrassing." His blush increased tenfold as he stood up and collected our plates. He walked away, out of earshot if we whispered.

"Kory, thank you for that."

"It was nothing… friend." My heart skipped a beat at hearing that word. I'm actually making new friends. Friends who don't fear me. I smiled at her brightly, which I was doing a lot more often, and held out my hand again. This time she shook it gracefully. Wow, she was strong. She gripped my hand tight. Why didn't she defend herself…? Three against one, perhaps. I still felt guilty about doing that to her though. Maybe if I get her something? Hmm, it seems like a good thing to do.

"Anyone want tea?" Garfield's voice came from the kitchen. Wow, he drinks tea? Amazing.

"No thank you friend, I prefer coffee."

"I'd like some tea. No sugar and only milk, please," I added.

"Comin' right up!" Kory and I sat in relative silence as Garfield worked on the tea and coffee. Yes, this apartment was much more cozy than my house… which I don't consider my home. I could easily get used to living here. In Jackson Square… odd. The supposed worse place of the city and this is one nice apartment. As Garfield brought the tea and coffee, we each sat sipping it slowly watching, surprisingly, a documentary on animals. It was interesting and explained about how penguins were slowly declining in the north and eventually would lead to some chain of events that would cause another problem we should worry about. I was hardly paying attention to it though. I'm sure it would be very interesting if I was able to pay attention, but I can't focus right now…

Three hours passed before Kory left to go home. It was pretty fun – we played a bunch of different board games Garfield brought from Africa. I've never even heard of a lot of the games. He won most of them due to experience, though. Although, now that I think of it… there has been a question on my subconscious for a while now. "Garfield," I stated, looking him in the eye with a serious expression. He had a small grin on.

"Yeah, Rachel?

"I thought you told me you had no friends. Well it seems you were friends with Kory…" I said, feeling a little hurt he'd lie to me. Only because of what Rory did does the lying have a greater affect, though. His grin faltered a little and he sighed.

"Okay, I guess… well, Kory and I weren't exactly friends for a while. I forgot all about her when I said I had no friends… I'm sorry," he said. He sounded so down and he looked depressed again. Damn it, I felt so sorry for him. So, without even a second thought, I lightly wrapped my arms around him in a hug. I felt him tense up, but eventually relax. I let go of him, and he looked up at me blushing. I smiled a large smile at him again.

"You're forgiven. I understand." He smiled back at me, which looked funny with the blush.

"Great. Thanks, Rachel." He said and we continued our conversation for long hours.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The weekend was uneventful, apart from visiting Garfield. And now it's Monday during lunch. Kitty, Tara and I sat at the table, eating lunch. Ever since Garfield came into my life, I've been considering some new things. I've often caught myself thinking why am I friends with these two? And then there'd be the obvious answer; we're The Feared Three. No one is within 25 feet of our table, but that doesn't mean the cafeteria is quiet. I have no idea why we're even in here, but it was two against one.

I've also been questioning that 'pact' we made. To me, it seems childish. That's something I don't normally think about. All these questions have been buzzing in my mind, and I'm not sure if they should be there. Am I really growing up?

"Rachel. RACHEL!" yelled Kitty. "About time. You were spacing out, girl." She was still angry with me, I could tell. To the normal person, she'd be good at hiding it. But not against me. I can see right through it.

"Sorry, I was thinking." They looked at me like they just met me for the first time.

"Since when do you do deep thinking like that?" Tara said, with an accusing look.

"I don't know," I admitted, shrugging. They had bought it for now.

"Anyway," Kitty said. "We got a lot to do today. During school, we're going to harass people, and if they talk back we beat their face in. Second, we're going to set off the fire alarm. Third…" she stopped mid-sentence as a boy walked up to our table. And it's none other than Garfield.

"Hey, am I intruding?" he asked while standing there.

"Ye-"

"No you're not, sit down please," I cut off Kitty, pulling out a chair beside me. He smiled at me and sat down. Kitty and Tara seemed to change in this instant. It was quiet and we ate in silence – yes, _quiet_. As in, no one in the cafeteria was talking. Just staring at our table. I could feel the heavy tension in the air. There's probably some whispering going on about what just happened at this table. Slowly, the talking in the cafeteria began to increase, and soon it was loud as can be again. I guarantee if I walked through it now, I'd hear our names a hundred times. This would be the biggest thing to happen in the school _ever_. No one has had the guts to walk up to our table. No one… until him.

"That was odd. Why was it quiet?" Garfield asked. I heard Kitty mumble a… not too pleasant response.

"Because, usually no one ever comes up to our table and lives to tell the tale," Tara said darkly, half-glaring at Garfield. Although he was unfazed by it completely as he put on a huge smile. I noticed a slight falter in Tara's expression - one of surprise.

"Guess I'm the first then, eh? Hahaha. This is a nice table. It's less quiet than any other ones…"

"Yes, but it's _our_ table!" Kitty yelled, now in on the conversation. It's obvious the two want him out of here. He was really intruding, but not really in my opinion. That's probably what they would think though. Garfield either didn't get the hint, or he's braver than I thought he was.

"Okay. It's our table. Sweet!" If I were on their side, he'd probably be breathing through a straw right now. Is he stupid? Well, he's lucky I'm here. But… _he's lucky I'm here._ Oh God, what if they try to hurt him outside of my presence? He's _really_ asking for it.

"No, our table as in mine, Rachel's, and Kitty's. NOT yours," Tara said through clenched teeth, obviously getting angry. Well, angrier.

"I'm sure Rachel would disagree," he said turning his head to me, giving me that smile of his.

"Yes, Garfield is not intruding. This can be a table for four now." Wow, did I just say that? I guess I'm taking a liking to Garfield. No, not _that_ kind of liking!

"W-what?! First, you invite him out with us to Tara's house. Now he's also part of our table. _OURS_, the one where we made our pact?" Kitty said darkly. Tara was also pissed, but a lot more reserved. You could tell through her facial expression alone. Garfield was oblivious, yet again.

"Hey, what's wrong with making new friends?" Garfield said, his smile still never leaving his face. I think this threw them over the edge. Tara, in one quick burst stood up and grabbed Garfield by his collar, dragging his face just inches away from her own. Her expression was pissed, annoyed, irritated… oh yeah, this wasn't going to end well. I stood up as well, and again the cafeteria grew eerily quiet…

"You came here uninvited, but Rachel said it was okay. We didn't, but just this once we let the pact go into question because it's obvious you two are friends. But the problem is, _we_ aren't friends, nor do we _want_ to be your friend. You're lucky Rachel is on your side, because we don't even _know_ what we'd do to you." She explained it loudly, and Garfield finally caught on that he was not wanted. He was trembling and I heard him gulp loudly.

"Let him go," I said. Tara and Kitty turned to look at me, and then Tara pushed him down. He would've hit the ground hard had I not have caught him. I was nearing the breaking point…

"I can't believe you're letting that… that… orphan come in here and get between us. This pretty-boy alone can have the power to make Rachel forget about who her _real_ friends are. The ones who stuck together through it all! The ones who didn't give each other the cold shoulder and stayed together no MATTER WHAT!" Kitty screamed; the whole cafeteria was able to hear her loud and clear. And, this brought me to my breaking point. I helped Garfield to his feet, and I stood at my full height.

"You know, Kitty, I've been wondering… are you two really my friends?" I said the most hurtful thing I could think of to them. Their expressions were of pure horror and shock. And it was the truth. I have been wondering if these two were really my friends for a while. "Garfield has actually opened my eyes. You two aren't what I'd call friends. You two aren't people I want to know about. You make me ashamed of myself that I actually **CALLED **you friends in the first place!" They were both on the verge of tears.

"Fine. We're no longer friends," they both said sadly, and each started exiting the cafeteria. Everyone's eyes stayed glued to the two girls, slowly walking out, and their heads down. It wasn't easy saying that, and it is hard to let go of the past. But, it had to be done. I looked over at Garfield, now sitting down, head in his hands. I sat down beside him. This was going to be talk for a while now… and eventually, the voices picked up again. Yes, it was the end of The Feared Three.

"Rae, I'm so sorry," he said gloomily. It was the first time he called me 'Rae', and for once, I wasn't annoyed at being called that.

"Don't be sorry. Those two have been a horrible influence on me. Only since have I met you have I been questioning my motives as to why exactly I want to be feared. Those two are immature and if I didn't do that, I fear I would never be able to reform myself," I explained to him. He looked up at me, eyes glistening. He was probably sobbing. But he seemed to stop now. "Besides, if they're gone, this means I can… make new friends."

"You… you really mean that?" he asked.

"Yes, I really do. And I was stupid up until I've met you. All that pain I caused, all the people and families I made suffer… I don't know why I did it. I guess it was just something I wanted to be proud of in my life. And it was a stupid thing as well…"

"I see. Thanks for catching me, by the way." I blushed slightly at that, and nodded to him. "Also, Rachel, after detention would you like to hang out with me again?"

"That would be nice. Of course I would… but… we can't go to my house."

"No problem. We'll just go around the city. Maybe you could point out some stuff to me?"

"That sounds great… and… I'm going to start reforming myself by going to all my classes every day."

"Maybe we have some classes together. What do you have after lunch?"

"Drama… I… really like acting."

"Really? So do I! What room number?"

"212."

"Sweet, we have class together!" Well that was a pleasant surprise. Having class with him would be great. It'll also help my reputation recover. If people see me acting with him, then maybe they'll think I'm not so bad anymore. And just then, the bell rang. We proceeded to drama class together, and finally got there. It wasn't too far from the caf, and we both entered at the same time. There were some whispers, obviously about us. Everyone already probably knew about what happened in there. The teacher looked surprised as well.

"Please take your seats," he called.

"Hey Rachel, no one is sitting next to my desk yet."

"I'll take it then," I said and we sat down. The teacher still seemed very surprised, but pleasantly, at my entrance. Everyone was looking at me. He cleared his throat and everyone paid attention to him now.

"Okay class, for our next assignment, you are each going to create your own play and present it to the class. We will spend the next two and a half weeks working on it. Today is the start of it. It will be in groups, so do not worry about doing it on your own. You can choose your groups now."

"Hey Rachel, how about you and I?"

"Sure, Garfield. Let's get a third person though," I said. Three people would be better because a play would be hard to do with less than that many.

"Alright, sounds good!" he exclaimed happily. I could tell he was very happy to work with me. And it was good, because I was actually happy to work with him. For once, I'm happy about something other than being feared. He looked to the left and saw a boy with black spiked hair and shades on sitting alone, trying to look cool. He didn't look that impressive. Anyway, Garfield got up. I suppose he was going to be our third partner.

"Hey man," Garfield said approaching the guy.

"Hi," he said. Wow, for someone who tried to look cool, he didn't have the voice _at all_.

"What's your name?"

"Richard. Richard Grayson."

"Cool, Richard. You want to be in our group?"

"Our? Who's our?"

"Rachel Roth," I spoke up, now behind Garfield. He looked at me.

"Hey, weren't you that one girl in The Feared Three?"

"I guess I was, but not anymore. So, do you want to be in our group or not?" I asked him patiently. Another thing I'm picking up on is being able to tolerate people. Before, I could hardly stand talking to someone unless they got to the point fast. But I guess I was just getting more accustomed to it now.

"Sounds cool. You don't… want to hurt me, do you?"

"No, of course not. I'm…" I looked at Garfield, and he nodded at me smiling. I looked back at Richard. "I'm reformed now, so there's nothing to worry about."

"Alright, nice." And we sat down, starting to create an idea for a play. It's not easy, but I think it would be more than worth it later.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

Well, the three of us got a basic concept of the type of play we want. But there's a problem: we need a fourth person. We had asked this African American male, Victor Stone, to join our group as well. He was a little hesitant, but we were able to talk him into it. I still can't find myself being all too nice to people, except Garfield. I pulled out a cigarette as we walked towards the bus station.

"You know, that stuff is going to kill you one day," Garfield said, not approving of my smoking attitude at all.

"I only have one per day after school. It can't be that bad."

"It doesn't matter, Rae. One a day or ten a day, it will kill you one day. I… think you should quit." I raised my eyebrow at him. I took another puff of the cigarette and put it down and stomped on it. I only took two puffs of it. But what's funnier is… I actually did what he said. Why?

"Well, I guess today I don't need one."

He smiled, and we boarded the bus to go to his house. Richard said he'd meet us there, because he had something important to do after school. Yeah, I think my life is definitely starting to improve.

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	7. Chapter 7

**(Yeah, I'm gunna be bugging you with this for each new update.) Join the Royal Order of BBxRae Knights home. Please? I promise you'll have a great time! I don't know why it's in Spanish, but don't let that make you go away. It's nothing but fun at the ROBRK home. :)**

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**

**Chapter 7**

I lay in my bed, curled up. It's storming outside and heavily too. I can't sleep when it storms. Especially with thunder and lightning. Truthfully, they scare me. If word like that got out, I'd be the laughing stock of the school. Which wouldn't help me in this particular situation. I close my eyes tight as lightning strikes and I hear a loud boom. The constant stream of rain pitter-patter hitting on my window is relentless and keeps me awake. But… oh no… I hear a door open and then slam hard. _He_ is home. I hope _he_ doesn't come into my room. I hear a muffled voice, but it's obviously shouting.

"ANGELA!" it says loudly. My eyes threaten to fill with tears and I hide my head under my blanket, praying that I don't hear anything horrible. I hear a timid, soft muffled voice respond.

"Y-yes sir?"

"WHERE THE FUCK WAS RACHEL TONIGHT?" the deep, booming voice responds. My walls ricochet from the sound. I pray my hardest that he doesn't come in here. I pray also for my sister. But I don't have the courage to go out and face him and defend her. I clutch the last thing my mother gave to me before she left. A teddy bear. I got it when I was six, and I've always treasured it. It always helps keep me calm during a storm or when _he_ is screaming.

"She went out to her friend's house, sir."

"WHICH FRIEND?"

"I-I don't know. She didn't tell me anything else, sir." Angela was brave, but I could tell she feared _him_ as much as anyone who knew him on a day-to-day basis would. I heard his loud footfalls on each step, and each one coming toward my room. I clutch my mother's last precious gift while under the blankets. The stomping stopped in front of my door. I held my breath, hoping and praying. But to no use. The door opened, and I could feel his presence right beside me. My eyes were closed tight by some mean of twisted reality that this is a dream, and I'd wake up any second.

I felt the blanket being ripped off me, and he shook me violently. I opened my eyes, only slightly, trying to not look at him.

"Where you were?" he expressed, his face near mine and his voice dark and menacing. The smell of alcohol lingered into my nostrils.

"At Garfield's house, sir."

"Who the hell is Garfield?"

"A new friend of mine, sir."

"YOU DIDN'T CALL! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO CALL WHEN YOU GO OUT!" he forced me to my feet, and led me to the door. "For your punishment: don't come back in this house for 24 hours!" he screamed, opened the door and pushed me out. I fell on the concrete, my hands scraping, and the precious gift falling a few feet ahead of me. I felt something hard hit my back. I looked back and it was my shoes. I was soaking wet at this point and the door to the house closed with a loud slam. I put my shoes on and picked up my only happy memory left of my mother, and started walking towards the only place I could think of where I could find comfort for the night. My eyes filled with tears and I didn't bother stopping them as they flowed freely down my already soaked cheeks.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

Only took an hour and a half of walking in 2 degree Celsius weather while rain hitting me non-stop to get to the one place where I hoped I could find hospitality for at least tonight. Garfield seems very understanding… although… am I ready to share with him what is very important? I'm going to have to, because he'll probably question me. He seems concerned about me, which is nice. Someone actually shows me some compassion in my life. I entered the building. There was no Kory, or anyone, for that matter at the front desk. So I just walked up the stairs to his room.

After climbing the 15 flights of stairs, I gulped feeling a little nervous about intruding at 2:00 AM in the morning… but what else am I going to do? Kitty and Tara are no longer my friends, so I wouldn't be able to go there. Besides, they don't even know about my father's sadistic rules. No one does. And I guess I'm really willing to tell Garfield if he needs to know. I knocked on the door and took a step back, holding the almost ruined bear in my hand. It's a rare bear. They could only be bought in, ironically, Africa. I heard quiet footsteps on the other side of the door. It opened and revealed a disheveled Garfield in boxers and a t-shirt. His eyes widened when he saw me.

"R-Rachel? Is that you? What happened?" he asked concerned. "Come in." I stepped in his apartment and removed my shoes and socks. He went to the bathroom and brought me a towel. "You're soaking wet! Did you walk here?"

"Yes," my voice said, cracking from all the crying I've done. I shivered, realizing just how cold I really am.

"Look, how about you go take a shower and I'll put on the kettle for a hot tea and some hot food. You like steak?" I managed a small smile at his suggestion.

"Steak at 2:00 AM? Sounds great." I walked over to the bathroom and removed the rest of my clothes. I climbed into the shower and let the hot water wash away all my troubles. It felt so great right now to take a shower. After I was finished washing myself, I got out and noticed that there was some extra clothes in here. He didn't come in… when I… I put that thought out of my head, and started drying myself off with a new towel. The aroma of steak filled my nostrils. It smelled very good.

"How do you like your steak?" He called.

"Well done."

"Me too! It'll be a while, but I'm sure you could use one." I smiled while putting on the over-sized jeans, t-shirt and socks. Thankfully there was a belt so my pants wouldn't be falling off my ass. I exited and saw two cups of steaming hot tea at the table. Then I realized something was missing.

"Where is it?" I asked alarmed.

"Where's what?"

"That… that bear you saw me with."

"Don't worry Rachel, he's right here." He moved out of the way and I saw the bear sitting on the counter, pointed towards his direction. "Sorry if I startled you. I was just looking at it. It… looks kind of familiar." I nodded to him and he passed it to me. I sat at the table, taking a small sip of my tea. It was perfect, just the way I liked it. "You look funny in that shirt."

"Garfield, this is not the time," I said half-threateningly.

"Sorry, sorry!" He spent the next 30 minutes preparing the steak, marinating it, cooking it to perfection. He pulled out two plates and brought them over. He handed me silverware, but he dropped it and took hold of my right hand, turning it. Oh no, I forgot about that…

"You're bleeding!" I pulled my hand away sharply, causing pain to surge through it.

"It's nothing. I can live with it," I insisted, folding my hands in my lap. He shook his head disapprovingly, and got out a med kit.

"Let me see your hands," he said gently. Cautiously, I brought them over the table. He opened the med kit and got out a white cloth. He put a dab of yellow liquid on it. "This will sting a bit, but it'll stop it from getting infected. Okay?" I nodded. He took my hand again, and slowly started wiping over the surface of it, being very gentle. He was lying. It didn't sting at all… it was actually relaxing. He took my other hand and did the same to it. He got another cloth and wiped my hands clean of the blood. Finally, he got out bandages and wrapped them up. I looked at him, and he smiled back at me.

"Thank you, Gar. It feels much better," I said.

"Heheh…"

"What?"

"You called me Gar." I raised my eyebrow and looked at him.

"So what's your point?"

"You never have before."

"Well I wouldn't get used to it."

"Don't worry. Now enough talk. Eat," he insisted. I smiled slightly at the beautiful looking steak. I cut off a piece and tasted it. It tasted a little odd, but still good nonetheless.

"This is good," I said after swallowing the steak and started to eat more.

"Thank you. It's tofu," he said casually while eating his steak. I almost choked, but took some tea to wash it down.

"Excuse me?"

"What? There's nothing wrong with it, is there?"

"Well, I guess not… but why tofu?"

"Oh, guess I've never told you, but I'm a vegetarian." My eyes widened at this interesting revelation.

"Really? How come you never told me before?"

"Must of slipped my mind, sorry."

"Don't worry. It is still very good steak." He smiled broadly at this compliment, probably proud of his own cooking skill.

"It's nice when you can cook for someone and have them tell you it's good. I always cook for myself, and you know what they say: everyone is their own worse critic. So for the longest time, I've always thought it tasted horrible. I was nervous while cooking it and giving it to you because I'd thought you would hate it. But not anymore." He said. I knew Garfield was intelligent now, and that was pretty deep. I smiled and nodded my consent while finishing off my steak. "You eat fast."

"Well, I'm a girl that enjoys her food. Any problems with that?"

"Not at all! I think it's pretty cool, actually." He was halfway finished with his steak.

"I guess so…"

"So, Rachel… how come you were soaking when you got here?" he asked, voice full of concern. I gulped, knowing that this question was going to show up eventually.

"It… it's a long story. And very personal."

"You can trust me, I promise…" he said this oh so gently. I looked into his big, pleading eyes. I sighed.

"Yes, you showed me hospitality, of which I'll never be able to thank you enough. I guess… you do deserve to know." I looked at him seriously, and he was just as serious. "Okay… well, the man who calls himself my father, he kicked me out in the middle of the night. Why? Because I didn't call him when we got here after school. I completely forgot about it. I scraped my hands when he pushed me out of the house on the concrete." I clutched the bear with my arms crossed over my chest hard, as I fought tears back.

"What! Rachel, have you ever called child support?"

"They do nothing to help. I've called them seven times in total… maybe eight. But they do nothing. They say without any proof, they can't help at all. Since when does child support need proof?" my voice was rising slightly as I spoke. I was getting upset again.

"Rachel, please calm down. I'm so sorry this happened," he said and I felt a pressure on my shoulder. I looked up and saw his eyes looking deep into mine, and arm outstretched with hand on my shoulder. I breathed deeply for a few minutes before he spoke up. "What else does he do?"

"Nothing… he doesn't hit me, but he pushes me a lot. Every time I'm at home, all he does is yell at me. When I'm not there, he probably gets drunk and yells at Angela all the time," I said, tears now falling out of my eyes for the umpteenth time tonight… he got up and wrapped his arms around me while I cried on his shoulder. I heard his soothing voice in my ear.

"Shh, Rachel. You… you won't have to go back there again. You can stay here, and we'll find a way to beat him," my sobbing stopped briefly. I steadied my breathing.

"W-we?"

"Yes. I'll help you no matter what. How come you never told me before?"

"I was scared."

"Don't be. Did he threaten you?"

"Yes. He said he'd kill me if I ever told anyone."

"Don't worry. He'll never know." Despite his comforting words, I couldn't help but cry again. The emotional stress was too much. I rarely cry, so that probably explains it… I'm letting out everything. And thank the Heavens Garfield is here to support me with that. If he didn't, I don't know what I'd do. And, in that moment, as we still shared our embrace, I saw Garfield in a new light. I finally realized… I'm falling for Garfield Logan.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Last night as a complete emotional train wreck for me. I'm glad I was able to get to sleep. Garfield offered me his bed, saying he'd sleep on the floor. I tried to refuse, but I wasn't able. He actually picked me up and put me in his bed. I couldn't believe it! I almost snapped at him right then and there, but I calmed myself. It was only due to the fact I had an emotional break down yesterday. But now I'm fine. Although I am still absolutely sure I am falling for him. I… I even dreamt about him last night. It's funny how it took one night of pure emotional stress to realize I like him. I don't know if like is a strong enough word. But I know it's at least at that point right now.

His bed was extremely comfortable. I could get used to sleeping in a bed like that. My bed is hardly as comfy as his. Because of my asshole father who makes everyone else's life a living hell. I hope Angela is okay. I sit up in his bed, stretching and yawning. I can smell something. Something cooking. Again? He must enjoy cooking. It smells like… eggs. Tofu eggs, most likely. I got up and walked into the kitchen to see him going at it again.

"You like to cook?" I asked him.

"Oh yeah. It's one of my hobbies. And now that I know you like it, I'm going to treat you like a queen." I couldn't tell if he was joking when saying this because I couldn't see his face.

"A queen, eh?"

"Yeah. You deserve it after what you've told me that your father does."

"I… guess… but no one said you have to do it."

"Well what if I want to? Rachel, tell me…" he said, ignoring his cooking and turning around, looking at me with serious eyes. "He never… abused you… sexually, did he?" My eyes widened at his question.

"No, never."

"Okay, thank God. I was just making sure." He turned back to his cooking and I sat down at the table again, picking at one of the bandages. It was silent for a few moments, until he spoke up. "You have nice hands, you know that Rachel?"

"Nice hands? That's… an odd compliment."

"What, no thank you?" he chuckled lightly while bringing the eggs over. "Well, I was doing stuff to your hands and I just like them. Is there something wrong with that?"

"No, of course not. I… never expected someone to say that, though."

"Well they are the most beautiful hands I've ever seen!" he exclaimed loudly before shoveling some eggs in his mouth. Despite the cheesy comment, I blushed. I've never received a compliment before in my life. I tasted his eggs and they were very good.

"Okay, I was up all night," he started. For the second time, I choked on my food but there was, I just noticed, a cup of tea near me and washed it down with that.

"What? Why?" I cut in.

"Oh… well I was kind of thinking of ways to get back at your 'dad'. Or to maybe get you disowned." I almost spit out the tea I was drinking at his suggestion.

"Disowned?!"

"Yeah. It can't be that hard, can it? All we gotta do is go to court, present our case, and then it'll be done in no time. Judges tend to favour the younger generation in those types of things."

"Where will I go if that happens?"

"You can room here with me. The school pays for everything, and they said if I wanted another person staying here for company, it would be okay. They'd cover that too." I looked at him in awe. He would really do that for me?

"You would really do that for me?" I repeated my thought.

"Of course, Rachel! This is serious and I want you to be okay and out of his sight."

"But… what if we go to court and he… his threat…?"

"Don't worry about that. I'll make sure after that, he never even _sees_ you again."

"How?" I asked. He didn't respond for a while, and I wasn't sure if he even had an answer.

"I… do you trust me?"

"Yes I do."

"Then I'll tell you after we get the case in court. Okay?"

"Okay," I said, a little uneasy about his reaction. We dined in silence for the rest of breakfast. He got up and took my plate and put both his and mine in the sink.

"So, where did you get that bear?" he asked out of the blue. It caught me off guard.

"My mother gave it to me when she got back from a trip to Africa." I heard him sigh slightly, but he turned around quickly and started walking to the door.

"Rachel, I'm going to go to school. I want you to stay here, though."

"What? What about the project in drama? What about detention? Today is our last day."

"No, Rachel. I'll talk to that jerk about detention. You are staying here today, okay? I got stuff I have to deal with at school. Don't worry about drama. If anyone comes to the door, don't answer it."

"I've already missed enough school though. I can't afford to miss more," I argued. Surely he can't come up with a better point than that.

"I don't care. You just went through this emotionally stressing time in your life last night, and you need an extra day to recover."

"Excuse me? How do you know what I need and what I don't need?"

"Rae, please do this for me," he said, turning around and looking almost sad. I raised my eyebrow at him.

"It seems a little childish."

"I know it does, but I promise it'll be worth it. You just have to trust me." I sighed at his words.

"Are you going to use that line every time you don't want me to do something?" He scratched the back of his neck at these words. "I do trust you, but me not going to school today is irrational. You guys are going to need me in drama today." He walked forward and put his hands on my shoulders. I sort of cringed at the touch, not being used to physical contact like this – at least, not when I'm not in a state of emotional distress.

"I'm not worried about drama, Rachel. It'll be one missed day and I have something very important to do. But you can't be there today because it may jeopardize you in some way. So please, please, promise me you'll stay here." His grip on my shoulders was very tight as he explained this. Jeopardize me? How exactly? I sighed.

"Fine, Gar. I'll stay here. Only because you're asking me to, though." He smiled brightly at me, and gave a quick hug, of which I was too shocked to react to.

"Bye Rae. See you soon, I promise," he called as he exited the door and shut it behind him. I sighed. What am I to do for six hours alone in someone else's apartment? Maybe I could go for a walk? No, I don't want to risk my dad seeing me in public. What does Garfield do for fun? Television now? No, I don't like television for the most part. I walked into the room I slept in last night and sat on the bed. I looked at my bear and smiled slightly at it as the memory of my mother came back. Oh, how I miss her…

There was a photograph next to the bear. It was of three people. One I assumed was Garfield when he was younger. Maybe at the age of five? The other two were older looking, and they had a high resemblance to Garfield. A man and a woman. Could this be a picture of his parents? They were certainly well-groomed, nice looking people. I picked it up, and looked into it. They all seemed very happy. They were wearing lifejackets and were on a medium sized boat that looks like it could fit six people. There was nothing in the background other than an endless sight of water. It was a beautiful picture. Very simplistic.

I picked it up, inspecting it closer. It feels like oak wood, the frame. It smells like oak as well. It looked very nice. This must've been a treasured memory to frame it in oak. I turned it around, and saw an inscription on the back. I couldn't read it though. It was cursive writing, but very un-neat. Too much so to read what it says. I guess he really does miss his parents… I wonder if this is a picture with his foster parents or actual parents. I placed it back where it was, and got up. Well, to say I'm nosy is a small understatement.

I opened his closet, looking for something to keep myself pre-occupied. Surprisingly, I saw the top shelf have a bunch of books on it. Granted, they were all small books, but they were still novels. And there was quite a few there. I guess he doesn't read much, but he does at least read. Good, I'm falling for a guy who actually enjoys reading. I pulled out the book farthest on the left.

"Flight of Icarus?" I put the book back on the shelf. An interesting name. I could read that before he got back, probably. But I'll leave that for later; I'm not much in a reading mood right now. Nothing much else of interest in this closet except his clothes and a small box in the back corner.

Wait, small box? I reached in and pulled out the box. There was a bunch of CDs in the box. And from all genres too. I guess he really likes his music. Yeah, perhaps _too_ much music. Britney Spears? Eww… I threw it back in the box as if it were a vile piece of garbage. I dug through the box more, looking at all the CDs he has. Admittedly, he has a good taste in music, apart from the Britney Spears CD. There was only one in there. Thank God for that. Strange. There's another unmarked black book in the bottom of the box. The cover page was blank. I raised my eyebrow, the book catching my interest. I opened it to the first page and there was a lot of writing in it. It was very messy writing, almost the same style that I saw on the picture.

I read the first two words on the top of the book. _Dear Diary_. Diary? He has a diary? Should I read it? No! I have to respect the man who could potentially be my boyfriend in the future. Although… it would help me figure out things he likes. Maybe just the first entry won't hurt.

Dear Diary 

_Hi I never writ in a diary bfore, but my frends at scool say it is the cool think to do so I aske my daddy to get me 1. a few days latre, I got one. Yay. My nam is Garfield Logan. At firs I didn't no what to right in it, but mommy says put what hapenned thru the day and what I thnk of it. Well its cool that my daddy buyed me a diary uhh, and well.. do you want to no abot me diary? I am 5 yers old and scool is prtty tough. Today that dumbo Alex pulled down my pans in front of all my frends. Every1 was laughing an I cried a lot and a lot. It isnt the firs time people dun stuff to me thats mean. Mommy told me not to lisen to them and to tell the teecher, but they dont ever lisen to me. Day tell me to not wrry about it an they wll get whats coming to them 1 day. I dont really bliv that, an I dunno why peple wont punish them when I get punished for no reason I wish peple would lisen to me more ofn. O wel, sumtyms stuff like that hapenns tomorw is a new day._

Gar 

Wow, he was able to write when he was five years old? Granted, it was very hard to read, but understandable. I feel sorry for him. The rumour about that information sheet a few days back was not incorrect. He really did have a horrible life in school. I looked at the picture. Maybe there's an entry relating to that? I put down the diary and picked up the picture, carefully inspecting it. In very tiny writing in the bottom right corner, there was a date. October 15th, 1995. Yeah, he was five in the picture. I put it down. Now that I have a date, maybe I can find one? He does look happy in that picture? I picked up the diary and moved to the next page. Incidentally, on the top was the date – the 15th of October, 1995.

Dear Diary 

_Oktobre the 15_

_2day, me mommy and daddy had a lot of fun. We went on a bote! Ther were lotsa water around us, but it was o kay becuz daddy told me to put on a lif jaket he said it would make me floot if I axdently fell in the water. But I didn because it was reel fun and daddy watched me. The bote went reel fast 2! Bt the best think was I got to mis scool becuz of it! Wich meens no1 tezed me today and im happy abot that becuz I get tezed lots. Bt my friends dont teze me and we hav lotsa fun. I wish they could came today, bt daddy sed it was a famly think. That okay becuz its fun to do stuff with them but funer with frends. Latre in the day, mommy started coffin a lot. Lyke ahole bunch we had to go to the hopitl. They did sum stuff to her, I dunno wut. After she started freekin a lot, saying sumtin abot 'canser'. I dunno wat dis canser is but it cant be that bad, right? I have to go to sleep now._

_Gar_

Oh my gosh… his mother was diagnosed with cancer? At the age of five? Wow… his life must've been way harder than mine ever was. All I've had to deal with was that abusive asshole… and judging from his luck, it probably wasn't too long before she bit the bullet. I didn't have the hurt to continue reading, tears now filling my eyes. I put the book back in the box and all the CDs that came with it. Except the Britney Spears CD. I threw that off the balcony. I hope he won't mind. He shouldn't anyway. Poor, poor Garfield… I should do something nice for him. But what? I have no money. What if he has some? Then, if he does I can use it for bus fair to get home, get my stuff and my hidden money stash, and then come back. 'Dad' should be at work at this point in time, so it shouldn't be any trouble to collect my stuff.

Now, it's time to find two bucks for bus fair. I'm sure he won't mind, and I can pay him back later. I searched the pockets of all his pants in the closet; there was nothing. Nothing else of interest in the closet; I put the box back in the place where it was before, and I shut the closet behind me. I didn't want to rifle through the drawers next to his bed, as that would be his… ahem… underwear drawer. That's strange. It's another door I've never noticed before. With good reason: it's sort of blended in with the wall, and I can see how easy it is to miss in the daylight. It was even easier to miss at night, I assume.

I opened the door and looked in the room. Strange enough, there were four screens in there, and this control panel looking thing and a chair. I sat down, wondering what this possibly has anything to do with being in an apartment. I pressed the button on the far left, and the monitor on the far left came to life. Incidentally, it showed a picture of the apartment building's lobby room. But why? What purpose does it have? My hand glided over to the next button and I pressed that. The second monitor sprung to life, this time showing a picture just outside of the apartment. Curious now, I pressed the third button, this one showing a picture right in front of room 732. His room number is 732. What's with all these monitors?

I pressed the last button, and this time it showed… a picture outside of the school? There were two people. One of them was Garfield. The second I think was one of our school's VP's. Do these things have audio?

"Hello, Garfield," the voice spoke. Goody, just in time.

"Good morning sir."

"How goes it?"

"It goes… well, hard to say exactly." Huh? What are they talking about?

"Oh? Do explain."

"I would… but I don't think she'd be able to appreciate that."

"Ah, I see. Regardless, is the mission nearing completion?" Mission…? What the hell? Is he a spy?

"I would say so, sir. Everything is almost taken care of. But I have to tend to some things that were not in the initial criteria."

"No matter. Once you complete your mission, you can go back to Africa," the man, who I now associated to being Mr. Smith, the VP, turned his back on Garfield, missing the sad expression he was giving off.

"Yes sir," he said. It almost sounded normal, only I was able to detect a trace amount of sorrow in it. So, he's going to go back to Africa when he finishes this… 'mission' he has? I'll have to question him about it when he gets back. Right now, I need to eat.

**Greetings, readers! Hopefully, this chapter didn't bore you much. I know it's kind of lacking. And there's some foreshadowing in here of things to come, and I look forward to some guesses. ;)  
Now, on to business matters. For readers of my story "How Much I Love You", I am sorry you have not seen an update for a while because I am getting too caught up in this story. I enjoy writing it a whole bunch more, but there should be at least two updates to that by the end of the Christmas holidays. I hope. Now, I have to bug you with this again because I am always on the hunt for more members.  
http:// robrk . 9 . forumer . com/index . php?actidx  
If you love BBxRae (Which you should, if you're reading this... :S) go sign up at that site. It's a site dedicated to BBxRae and it has FORUMS. That's right! So please sign up and I might stop bugging you with it every update.**

**Now, one final message before I let you go:**

**MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL! For those who don't celebrate Christmas, MERRY (INSERT YOUR HOLIDAY HERE!) For those who don't celebrate anything, MERRY TUESDAY!**

**Have a nice night. **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry about this late update, had something of a writer's block during this chapter. But I finally managed to get it out, and now I have my plot set up. Lots of things going to start happening after this chapter. To the readers of my other story: sorry for not updating for a while, but that story has gotten slightly boring for me, and the beginning is so bad (to me) that I am starting to dislike it a little. Well, on with the show! Oh, and one more thing. Join the ROBRK forums (sorry, but I must advertise this. We need more members, and I guarantee the boards are fun!) Linkie: http:// robrk . 9 . forumer . com/**

**Now, enough with my advertising of forums or my other stories. As they said in times of old, "ON WITH THE SHOW!" (Or they still say it now?) **

**Chapter 9**

The conversation I witnessed Garfield having with Mr. Smith has been on my mind all day long. I managed to find bus fair to take the bus up to my house and collect all my stuff and my hidden money stash. There was $375 there, which is good. I actually have some of my own money now.

But I still can't help but wonder what this apparent 'mission' was. It had been nagging me ever since. And who could 'she' be that he said wouldn't appreciate it? Argh! I'm putting too much thought into it. It's not good for me. There's still two hours before Garfield gets home. Maybe his diary would reveal some insight as to what this mission could be? I got out the box again and dug through all the music CDs and got to the diary. It should be one of the most recent entries. I flipped open to the last couple of pages, and found possibly what I'm looking for.

Dear Diary 

_I got a call today. But, not just any call. This call came from America. America! I have suspicions that my real parents are in America. Life gets harder and harder every day here for dad and I. I wish mother were still alive. Anyway, I don't know why they called me specifically or even how they tracked me, but I got offered to go the greatest country ever! More importantly, I'll actually have a chance to look for my parents. Sure, going there is a temporary thing, but I've never been this happy in my life! Oh, right. What he did talk to me about was something he described as a great disturbance, and said he believed that I could take care of it. I don't know how… but he said it would be very beneficial for a lot people. He called it a mission and said I'd be something like a spy. I always did find spy stuff cool. Well, he didn't tell me exactly what I needed to do, but he said there would be free hospitality for me – and a guest, if I had one, but I don't. He said I could stay there as long as I needed to get this mission done and my flights would be paid for there and back. Me and dad went over this a bunch of times. He didn't want me to go, but I really wanted to go. Eventually, I talked him into letting me go. So my flight is in four days. I'm very excited because I get to go off in the world to fend for myself. It's an exciting challenge. I also get to look for my real parents while in America. And the last thing is take care of this disturbance. I don't know what it is, but I agreed that I'd do whatever it took to care of it. Oh, I have to sleep now because I'm waking up early tomorrow to go to my school and arrange all this stuff that's happening. Good night, diary._

So, he really does have a mission, and in a way could be looked at as a spy. But how does it link to Mr. Smith? Am I missing something here? I put the diary down and went to sit on the balcony. I fingered the pack of cigarettes in my hand, contemplating on having one. Damn it, why does Gar have to have such an affect on me? Am I really that easily manipulated by cute guys…? Argh! I threw the pack of smokes off the balcony, now suddenly angry. Angry at myself for letting me get so easily manipulated. I'm afraid if he asked me to do something, it'd be very hard to say no to him. Unless it's something stupid, like not going to school today. The door's opening. Is he home early? Uh-oh! The diary is still out! I rushed to put it back and the box, making as little noise as possible. Thankfully, I got it in and laid down on his bed, put the blanket over me, pretending to sleep.

"Rae? You here?" I heard his voice from the door. I heard him walking around a bit. He came in the bedroom. He put his hand on me and started shaking me. "Rae, wake up please!" I groaned, pretending I was sleeping, and rolled over and faced him.

"What? I was sleeping."

"Sorry. But I think you should know something…" He sat down on the bed and his eyes were wandering around the room, refusing to meet contact with mine. "Uh… it's hard for me to tell you…" I took his hand in mine and squeezed it to the best of my ability with the bandages on it, letting him know it's okay. He turned his head away and closed his eyes tight. Whatever it is, it must be big.

"You can tell me. Anything…"

"Okay… promise not to get mad. But, I have to go back to Africa…"

"When?" Well, I'm not surprised at all since I've heard what he and Mr. Smith have talked about.

"Uhh… I… really don't know. But I don't want to leave," his hand squeezed tighter on mine, making it hurt just a little. I could tell he wasn't trying to cry. "I just found out today."

"I'm sorry, Gar… but do you know which day you are leaving?"

"I-I don't know for sure… but… but after I finish doing something… I… I have to go back…" his voice was very shaky. He was on the edge of crying. He helped me last night…

"Gar, look at me." He turned his head and his eyes were glistening. "Do you absolutely_have_ to go back?"

"I think so… I haven't tried to talk about it…"

"Who do we have to talk about it with?"

"Uh… Mr. Smith. You know the VP at our school?" I raised my eyebrow, in mock surprise.

"Mr. Smith? He determines when you go back to Africa?"

"Yeah. It's kind of weird… he called me a while back and we arranged for me to come here."

"Garfield, what do you have to do before you get back to Africa?" I asked. It's been bugging me for a while, and I need to know right now what it is before I can help him any further. He sighed.

"I can't tell you."

"And… why not?" That's odd.

"I just can't," he said, his voice rising a little bit.

"What, you don't trust me?" I think I trust him enough. Shouldn't it be time to repay it?

"Of course I do. It's just… that… well… I…" he's stalling. Obviously, he doesn't trust me…

"So you don't trust me."

"What!" he said, letting go of my hand and standing up. "I said I did!" his voice was raising more. Is he actually angry with me…?

"Then how come you won't tell me?" Ah, my old monotone voice once again. It's been a while since I've been able to use it on Garfield.

"I don't know."

"I do. You don't trust me. Simple as that."

"Nonsense!"

"Then tell me what you need to do. Or else I won't be able to help you," I stated calmly, yet very slowly starting to lose my patience. This argument has been pointless. He seemed to lose all defence he had there, and slumped down.

"If I tell you… will you… promise not to get mad?"

"I'll be mad if you don't tell me." He sat down again beside me and took a deep breath.

"Okay, it wasn't my idea. I came to America to look for my parents. I have no clue if they're even in this state or not. But… what I did come here for was… well… Mr. Smith called me one day, and he asked me to come down to America to… to… turn you into a better person."

"…I…"

"Please Rachel, if you hate me, don't say it. If you want to leave, then by all means, go right ahead…" I… he… was… sent down here to make me a better person…? I shook my head and smiled a bit.

"I don't hate you, Gar." He looked up from having his head in his hands.

"You don't?" he squeaked out, his voice sounding very high pitched.

"Of course not. But I am disappointed in you for not telling me sooner."

"I am very sorry!"

"It's forgivable. I should thank you, really. I realize now that my life was going nowhere being the old Rachel Roth. It's funny how you come to realization after you've been through it. I'm just glad I had someone show me the error of my ways before it was too late. But… wouldn't your mission be technically completed?"

"Yes, but I told Mr. Smith it wasn't to have some extra time down here."

"Oh." I wonder if he wants extra time to find his parents? Probably. Although… he is helping me as well. Maybe he just also wants to spend time with me? "You told me you were looking for your parents?"

"Oh, yeah. That's what I really came down here for in the first place. I knew that I'd have to do my mission, but I figured that would be pretty easy. Er, no offence."

"Don't worry about it. But, first thing is first. You have to talk to Mr. Smith about staying here permanently."

"I've been meaning to talk to you about that, Rachel. If… if I can't stay here permanently… would you like… to move… back to Africa with me?" he pointed his fingers together and blushed a little.

"Well, that is a very kind offer, but I'm sure that we'd be able to talk to Mr. Smith about you staying here. Why would you not be able to? Admittedly, we'd need jobs, because I don't think the school would provide for us for that long."

"We…?"

"Huh? Oh, we're going to be roommates. Right?"

"Y-yeah! Of course! I'd love to be roommates with you!" I smiled at how enthusiastic he had become, and now that he got that out of the way, he must feel like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Still, there are some questions… like, how does Mr. Smith relate to it, and how did he know about Garfield? Why did he get someone in Africa to fly down here just to "reform" me? It doesn't add up. "So, how about at school tomorrow we ask Mr. Smith to let me stay? Oh, and don't say anything about the 'mission'. It was meant to be a secret from everyone. Especially you."

"Don't worry. I'm not a fool."

"I know that. I know it very well now." He smiled at me and took my hand again. He looked directly into my eyes and I into his. I couldn't tear my gaze away. His face was moving closer to mine… but… no. I jerked my head back and took my hand out of his grasp.

"What are you doing?" He jumped back.

"I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me!" he got up and left. "I'll be back soon, Rae. I'm going to go out for a bit. I… I need to be alone." I nodded at him and watched as he put on his jacket and left. He almost kissed me. But… I can't kiss him. Not at least until we're in a relationship. But… does that mean he likes me?


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Gar wasn't gone for too long. He returned in about 15 minutes. Enough time to have a quick lunch of Kraft Dinner and tofu dogs with herbal tea. The tofu stuff is very weird, and I feel like I need some real meat, but it's tolerable. If we are going to be roommates, we're going to need a bigger room… and one with two beds. He doesn't have a computer so I wasn't able to print up résumés for us to go find some jobs. I guess we'll just have to do that at the library. My scraped up hands were healed so I removed the bandages.

"Hey Rachel! I figured that today we could go around the city and do some stuff."

"Do stuff? Like what?"

"I don't know. I just came here recently. Maybe you know of something to do?"

"Hmm… now that you mention it, there is a lot of recreational stuff to do around here."

"Excellent!" he said, getting some tofu dogs and Kraft Dinner I made earlier and heating them. "After I have some food that I see you've made, we'll go. Sound good?"

"Sounds very good," I said with a tiny smile, finishing off my tea. "I went back to my house and gathered my clothing and money."

"What?! Isn't your father home?"

"No, not right now. He's at work."

"Oh, that's good then." He sat down at the table with his food and started eating. I watched him out of the corner of my eye, holding still the teddy bear.

"You're really attached to that bear, aren't you?" he asked after a minute. I nodded.

"My mother, Angela – who my sister was named after – gave it to me. It was the last thing she gave me," I explained, starting to feel a little down.

"What happened to her? If you don't mind me asking." I shook my head.

"I don't want to talk about it. It's too painful of a memory." God, too painful. Why are there so much sad things about my past? No matter. The future is ahead, and I plan on making the best of it. With or without Garfield; but so far, things seem to be going rather well between us. After all, he almost _kissed_ me. That has to mean something… right?

"It's okay… I understand. Could I see the bear?" I looked up and slowly handed it over to him. He took it and inspected it closely, turned it over many times and ran his hand over it a few times. "This is a very special bear…"

"Yes. It is. I've always treasured it and kept it in good condition."

"Great condition."

"If I had to put a title to my most prized possession, that's it," I stated quietly, watching the bear, and a little Garfield. He is cute. Why can't I look at him?

"I know how you feel. About your mother. Well, kind of. I don't know what really happened to yours…" he stated with a sigh and handed me back my bear. That's right. I read his diary, which I feel guilty about reading. "Anyway, this isn't the time to be sad. We're going to go do some stuff, right?"

"Of course," I said with a small smile. I got up and put the bear on the bed and got my jacket on. That reminds me: Christmas is on the way. Will I need to get a present for Gar? Of course I will. He's been ever so kind to me. It's the least I can do to repay him.

"Where're we going?" he asked, breaking me out of my thoughts of what to get him for Christmas. It was only in ten days and this was our last week of school before the holidays.

"I was thinking we could go play pool. You ever hear of it?"

"Pool. Is that like… that game with those long wooden sticks and balls you have to sink into holes?"

"Yeah. The sticks are called cues."

"Oh wow. I've never played pool before, but I heard a lot about it. There are no pool tables in Africa."

"Well let's go then, I'll teach you everything about it." He smiled brightly at me and went to put on his jacket, and then we were off. A few minutes later of walking, we arrived at the pool hall. We entered and there were quite a few people in there, but luckily there was a pool table open at the far corner. The only one left too.

"Wow, guess we're pretty lucky, eh?"

"Yeah. It's usually this busy on Tuesday's."

"I'm glad we got our own table." I nodded, and just as we were about to reach the table, a familiar voice boomed.

"Hey! If it isn't Rachel and Garfield." We both turned around to look in the smiling face of Victor, from drama.

"Hey Vic. How's it goin'?" Gar gave him a high five. The two just talked to each the first time yesterday, yet they already seemed like best friends. It's a little shocking at how fast it happened.

"Going pretty good, little man."

"That's good, big guy. What brings you here?"

"Oh, I work here. I was actually just about to get off, until I saw you two. So I decided to come and say hi."

"Cool."

"You want to play some pool with us?" I offered him.

"Haha. I'd be too good for y'all," he stated cockily and winked.

"Gar's never played pool before. And I come here often. You better watch what you say." I smirked at him.

"Can you guys teach me to play before you go all pro on me?" We both looked at Garfield.

"Sure man. Come on, I'll tell you everything you need to know." Victor brought him over and introduced him to the cue while I set up all the balls in the rack to prepare for the first game.

"So, all I gotta do is hit the white ball with the cue? Okay. Can I try it now?"

"Go ahead," Victor encouraged him and took a step back. Suddenly, Garfield whacked the top of the white ball with the cue, making a loud banging noise. The ball jumped half an inch in the air.

"Uh… Victor, maybe you should show him exactly _how_ to hit the ball."

"Right! My bad. Here, grip it like this," Victor took the cue and got in shooting position to show him how exactly to shoot it. "Now, this is only my way of shooting. Some people alter hand positions, or are left-handed. You just gotta get a feel for the thing. Here, you try." He handed Gar the cue and this time he got in the correct position.

"Now use your left hand to pull back and push forward the cue. Make sure you aim carefully." He pulled back and hit hard. I dodged out of the way as the ball came flying off the table and landed on the ground. I picked it up and walked over, shaking my head.

"Here, let me help you," I said, taking his hands in mine and guiding him on how to shoot the ball. This time when we pulled back and lunged the cue forward, the white ball connected with the racked up balls and sent them scattering. None sunk, but it was a decent break. I let go and looked at him. "You get it now?"

"I… I think so. Can I try again?"

"Go ahead. Also, you can shoot the white ball from any angle," Victor contributed. Gar nodded at him and moved around the aim for the black ball. "Uhh… you sink the black ball at the end," Victor now explained all the rules to him. After a minute of explanation and some questions, he nodded his head and again returned to shooting position, only this time to get a stripe in a corner pocket. Unfortunately, he has no idea how to control the power or accuracy of his shot, so he missed it completely. Victor seemed to be enjoying this as he was chuckling uncontrollably.

"Don't worry Gar, everyone is bad for their first time playing. You have to play it a lot to get used to it."

"Heh, yeah I expected that. So… who am I playing?"

"How about you take some extra shots to get the feel for it better?" I suggested. He smiled and started taking some practice shots. "I'm going to get a water," I said and left for a moment. But I heard someone walking at a steady pace beside me. "Yes, Victor?"

"Nothing, I'm pretty thirsty too, and the pop machine is in this direction."

"Oh," I said distractedly, listening to the cacophony of voices chatting. It was a little peaceful; I know it's a little strange, but I can find some peace in chaos.

"Plus, I want to ask you some stuff."

"Like what?"

"Hmm… you like Gar, don't you?" I stopped dead in my tracks and gaped at him. "Yup, that confirms it," he patted me on the back and I shook my head.

"H-how did you…"

"Years of watching people. I know what's going on between people when stuff like that happens. And I could practically _feel_ it myself!"

"D-don't tell him…" I stuttered.

"No worries girl, your secret is safe with me. Besides, it's not my place to tell him."

"Good… do you know if he likes me?"

"Like I said, not my place to tell." Damn it. He had no facial expression to give off anything.

"Do you know though?" All he did was shrug in response. Ugh! Why does he have to do this?

"Just drop it for now. Enjoy pool with the little guy. Oh, and me," he added while smiling. I shook my head again and we got to the water and soda vending machines.

"Consider this one on the house. To new friendships," he said while opening the machine and giving me a water bottle. I smiled and he did the same, only with Dr. Pepper soda. "Gar want anything?"

"I don't think so." He shrugged and we continued our trek back to the pool table. Unfortunately when we got there, Garfield was being harassed by… by… is that Rory?!

"Hey shrimp, what do you think you're doing here?" he barked, Karen at his side. I heard low growling coming from Victor.

"RORY!" I yelled, walking up to him, glare planted on face, words ready to be said. He turned to look at me.

"Well, if it isn't my whore of an ex, Rachel Roth." My mind went blank. He actually has the _nerve_ to call me a WHORE?!

"What the hell did you just say to her?" Garfield spoke up. He dropped the cue and his fists clenched.

"What, the little bitch never told you? After she screwed me, she broke up with me." WHAT?! HOW DARE HE SAY THAT! I took a step forward, but Victor's hand got on my shoulder. I looked at him in question and he shook his head slightly, eyes still glued to the scene.

"Let Gar handle this," he whispered to me. I rose my eyebrow.

"Yeah, she also cheated on me too."

"I don't believe you," Garfield said calmly, yet very coldly.

"Whatever. What you think doesn't matter." He started walking towards me and attempted to put his arm around my shoulders, but Gar's hand got in the way and pushed it back. Rory stumbled backwards before he looked back. "Wanna take this outside, asshole?"

"YO!" Victor roared, now getting angry. Vic is very big… most likely with muscles. I don't think Rory would try to mess with both of them. Especially in a public place.

"What? Little elf boy here has some idiot here to defend him?" Victor gritted his teeth. It was very audible. Surprisingly, no one in the pool hall has noticed the confrontation yet. "Pfft. If you're going to get a body guard, at least get a white man. Wait… you picked the right choice with a black guy. Stupid and a low pay." I could tell Victor was trying his hardest not to smash his face in.

"Hey, dumbass," Garfield called. That's the first time I've heard him curse. "Why the hell are you picking on Victor? I thought this was between me and you, you God damned prick!"

"Oh, I see. Black boy isn't a bodyguard. Ditch him as a friend right away," before he could get another word, Garfield's fist connected with his jaw. I winced. That _must_ have been painful. A moment later, Rory spit a red tooth out of his mouth. He tried to charge at Garfield, but two other employees instantly stopped him. Garfield also got one employee on him and dragging them out. Victor and I followed quickly. Once we were out of the building, Karen came a second later.

"Come on hon, let's not waste our time on garbage," she said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

"Yeah, whatever. I'll see you dicks later," he said while holding his mouth. They took their leave after that. Once out of earshot, Gar turned to us.

"I'm sorry, guys."

"Don't be. That prick deserved it. And everything he said there was a lie," I said, putting my hand on his shoulder. He sighed.

"Man, I'm glad you hit him. I would've got fired if I took any offensive action against that jerk. Thanks for standin' up for us though."

"Eh, it was nothing." No, it wasn't nothing. Curious… I'll have to ask him about it later. That "secret" file I obtained on him said he was always picked on. He never stood up for himself. So why would he do that now? Does he really feel that way about me? Well… there is Victor here too. I guess he can't stand it if his friends are being picked on. Victor decided to go home after that, along with Garfield and I. What just happened had really dampened Garfield's mood. I didn't see him smile all the way back the apartment. He didn't talk unless I talked to him. Something must be up. And I plan to find out what.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello, readers. This chapter, I've introduced some elements that have to do with the character's powers in the show. Garfield's and Rachel's. See if you can spot what exactly I put in there. (No, there's no super powered things. Just references.) Since I didn't bug you last time, I'd like to please ask you to join my humble forum. It's a BBxRae forum! The Royal Order of BBxRae Knights! Doesn't that sound cool? Please join? I'll give cookies. My profile for the link. Now, I command you to enjoy (or hate... just read it. Please?) this chapter:)****  
**

**Chapter 11**

As soon as we had got back to the apartment, Gar ran straight to the shower. He came out an hour later. He must've been really hurt for some reason. I think he was crying. Poor Garfield. I really need to cheer him up. But I don't know too much about him. What could I possibly do to make him happier? Ask him out? … I'm not trying to cause panic in him. I don't even know if he likes me. Uh, I should be focusing on helping on him. He sat solemnly on the couch, reading a newspaper while I sat beside him, pretending to read a novel I've already read. I picked it for this purpose. To think. And sometimes I'll later randomly flip a page. I already know everything about the book in case he asks. And the tension… it's killing me. I could practically feel just how much turmoil he was in. I sighed. No matter what I say to him, it's not going to be easy to get out. Starting with his name might be a good idea. I closed the book, and turned my head.

"Garfield," I said a little uneasily.

"Yes?" he responded. He sounded sad. So sad. In that instant, I wanted to hold him and tell him it's okay. But I didn't. I don't think it'd be the correct action in this situation.

"Are you okay?" He looked at me and put on the most fake smile I've ever seen.

"Never better." It sounded so unenthusiastic. So dull… so lifeless.

"Please, I know you're lying. I don't like it when you lie to me, Gar." He shook his head and sighed.

"I… I'm sad about Rory."

"That's obvious. What about him makes you sad?" I said it in the most calm, sincerest voice I could. Surprisingly, it sounded exactly what I was aiming for. He put his newspaper down, and turned towards me.

"It's… well… how to word it. I guess it's just that the fact what he said about you and Victor really got to me. I wanted to just murder him right there, Rae. I seriously wanted to end his life," he explained this and I saw his eyes start to glisten. He wiped any would-be tears, however. "What he said was the most inconsiderate thing I've ever heard. He probably would've called Victor that word if Karen wasn't here." It was clear what word he was talking about, and I nodded my head. "People like that… they really, _really_ depress me. Just by putting others down. And that had made me snapped." He sighed, and looked away.

"Did… you have troubles with those kinds of people back at your school in Africa?" I asked this gently while putting my hand on top of his. He closes his eyes tight and nodded.

"I got picked on a lot. By people like him all the time. I never did anything about it though. I let them walk all over me. I was like a doormat. And when I saw Rory doing it with you guys… I just… I just snapped. It was like something woke up inside me and made me do those things I wouldn't normally do. I'd never hit someone. Rae, I'm a fricken pacifist!" I felt the skin on his hand tighten. I could tell he was having a hard time telling me this. I used my free hand to move his head and lay it on my shoulder. He sniffled.

"I'm very sorry that happened in the past, Garfield. You know I'm here to help you with it now. And… I should thank you for hitting Rory. He really deserved it."

"Yeah." There was a moment of silence between us. A moment of comfortable silence. "Rae? Rory was lying… right?" He sounded a little unsure. I was a bit taken aback.

"Yes," I gently said, massaging his hand with my own now slightly.

"Then… could you tell me the truth about that?" I waited before responding, and so did he. I thought it over a bunch of times, and finally decided it would be in both our best interests if we knew as much about each other as possible.

"Well… I met him when I was four. We met in a park and played there a lot as children when our mothers brought us there. The first time we didn't think we'd see each other again. But our moms conveniently came back every week on Wednesday. They said it was time to get away from it all. I didn't know what it meant at first, but I also didn't know about my father too much back then either. Didn't know what he did. Anyway, Rory and I eventually started to become friends. Slowly, but surely. We argued a lot, so it was surprising that we eventually became friends. But you know how all little kids are at first with each other. They can't get along if their life depended on it. I guess it helped that our moms also became friends. Eventually, we started seeing each other a few times a week. We always used to play. And we always argued when we played. It took a whole two years to finally become friends. Though we still argued, not even half as much as when we were younger, and not even one quarter serious." I paused to take a few breaths. I couldn't see his reactions because his head was still on my shoulder.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. About the kids arguing stuff." I nodded, knowing he couldn't see it, but did it anyway.

"When we were nine, we ended up in the same class together. We talked a lot and we shunned out a lot of other people. Rory, I figured out a lot later, had gotten molested by his father at one point. That may explain his homosexuality."

"Wait, he's gay?!"

"No, he's a bisexual. I was comfortable with that though. We told everything about each other. There were no secrets between us. We ended being in each grade together after that, up to the last year of elementary school. By that time, we had become very good friends. Best friends. Almost soul mates. Our personalities at that time also complimented each other well. He was always mean to people, bullying them. I was always encouraging it. I never actually did until I met Tara and Kitty."

"So you encouraged his bullying… but never did it?" I felt ashamed, and closed my eyes.

"Yes, unfortunately. Trust me, I regret it now."

"That's not a good thing, but you should regret that. It's the only way you can move on and accept your life." I smiled at his wisdom.

"You're right. I've done that with things in the past." There was another silence passing. I'm glad he's very patient with me, and allowing me to take my own pace with telling him this. The next part is the hardest part to tell, and the part I hoped I wouldn't have to answer to him. But it must be said. "At the end of grade eight, he asked me out. I was so ecstatic. I wasn't even sure if I liked him or not. I just knew that a guy was actually asking me out. Despite that tough outer shell I put on, no guy asked me out. If they tried to talk to me, Rory usually beat them up. He was, and still is, way too protective. Anyway… when the date day came and passed, I convinced myself I loved him. I went from not even sure if I had a crush on him to loving him. A little ridiculous, isn't it?" I waited to see if he'd respond. I felt his hand move to go on top of mine and squeeze it.

"It's okay. We all make mistakes."

"That was a huge stupid one. Well, at least what it led to. We went on a few more dates, and I got blinded more and more by his frontward appearance. After our tenth date… which was our one-month anniversary… I… offered myself… to him…" I said the last part very quietly; very embarrassed as I felt heat in my cheeks. His breathing stopped.

"What?" he asked in a whisper.

"Yes. And it was the biggest mistake of my life. Thinking I'm in love… I offered my body… and he took it. After we… did it… he left my house right away without saying goodbye. I remember that night so well, too. I… wish I could get rid of that memory. I wish I could get all the self-loathing away. I hate myself for doing that. Hate, hate, _**hate!**_" I yelled the last hate a little loudly, a tear dripping down my cheek.

"Why, though?"

"Because right after that, it was very hard to even see him anymore. The next two weeks were complete hell. Rumors were instantly floating around that Rory has been seen with another girl. I dismissed them at first. With the thought that we've known each other for years, and we trust each other to the absolute fullest extent. I didn't think he'd take that trust and so easily throw it away…"

"Like a delicate house of cards, trust can easily be broken with one little flick of a finger." A few more tears dripped down my cheek, but at least it wasn't like the first night I came here when I was a complete emotional train wreck. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself.

"He seemed like such a sweet and kind guy to me for the longest time. But he was a dick to everyone else. My ignorance of my love I thought I had for him didn't allow me to see that side of his personality. At least he wasn't like that to me. Still… I guess I should've seen it coming…"

"No, Rae. No one could have seen it coming. He's just all the more of an asshole now that I know the whole story behind him. Nine years of building friendship and trust, just to break it in two measly weeks. He can go get hit by a bus."

"Yes, he can." More silence passed. I opened my mouth, and blurted out something I've wanted to say for a while now. But I just said it… didn't even stop. Didn't even try. Hardly registered it came out of my mouth until after I did. What did I say? "Garfield, I'm glad you found me." I waited, shocked, and a little scared. But then I heard… snoring? Is he sleeping? I didn't know my shoulder would be that soft. I smiled in spite of myself. I used my free hand to wipe a bit of sweat off my brow. I don't blame him. He just had a lot to take in. Hearing about all of that must be tiring. It's a lot of talking, and a lot more listening. He was very kind in handling it to. He didn't call me any names. He didn't make any comments. And he helped me. Gar said some very insightful things. I slowly got up and laid him down on the couch. I looked at his face. I moved closer to it and planted a light kiss on his forehead. I saw the corners of his mouth tug up into a tiny smile, and then he rolled over. I put a blanket over him, and decided that a nap would also do me some good.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I am sorry for the EXTREMELY late update. I've been having a brutal writer's block with this story, but I think I'm going to get it back on track now. It's about time this took an update. You think I'd really abandon my most popular story? Anyway, enjoy the story. I apologize once again for my lateness. Oh and I know this is a short chapter in comparison to all my others, but an update nonetheless. I hope you don't hate me for that.**

**Enjoy! **

**Chapter 12**

I woke up an hour later from my nap. I didn't sleep well, but still, I needed at least some rest. I wonder what Gar thinks of me after all that? He seems very understanding, kind, and compassionate. I walked into the kitchen and yawned loudly.

"Hey," Gar said at the table with a bowl of cereal in front of him.

"Isn't it a little late for breakfast?"

"Nah." I shrugged and decided cereal sounds like something good to have right now. I opened the cupboard and saw all kinds that have sugar packed with them. I cringed.

"You like your cereal with a lot of sugar, don't you?" I turned my head and saw sugar added to the already-caked-with-sugar cereal…

"Yeah. I love sugar!" He smiled and took another spoonful of cereal. I chuckled under my breath.

"Well… I try to avoid it normally. But I guess some sugar right now won't hurt." I got the box of Lucky Charms and a bowl and the soymilk and sta- wait, soymilk? Oh, right. Vegetarian. Unfortunately, I hate soymilk. I have tasted it before and vomited from it. Maybe I'm allergic to it, or something in it. Still, I also hated the taste. "Gar… I don't like soymilk."

"Oh. Uhm… there's powder milk in the cupboard." Joy. I got the can of powder milk and opened it. I put water in my bowl and the powder. I watched as the transparent water transformed into the opaque white of milk. This is probably going to taste bad… but not as bad as soymilk. I have had powder milk before. It's funny what you have to do to survive with a father like mine.

I put the spoon in my mouth. Surprisingly, it wasn't as bad as I anticipated. Still not as good as normal milk.

"Do you think Rory will try to hurt me? Or you?" he asked, a little out of the blue. I swallowed my cereal and put my spoon down. Truth is, I do think he'd do something. But I wasn't too keen on how to tell him, so I took the best path I could.

"Yes, I do." He gulped loudly.

"Rae, you have to protect me. I'm really a coward." I raised my eyebrow at him.

"Rory isn't afraid to hit girls. He'd punch us both out."

"Oh crap. What about Victor? He's a big guy. Bigger than Rory."

"Maybe…"

"Maybe he can beat him up? Or help us?" I was about to say it's a possibility, but a knock on the door was heard. He looked at me and got up to go answer it. He opened it and Victor showed in the doorway.

"Hey guys," he said quietly. Garfield nodded and he walked in. "I'm so sorry about what happened back there." Garfield held up his hand.

"Not your fault man." Victor sighed.

"I know. But man, I hate that Rory guy." My eyes widened.

"You hate Rory? Why?" He threw his fist into his palm.

"Because… Karen is my ex. We broke up after he came into the picture. I know she never cheated on me, but there were some rumours about him using date rape on her once. It was dismissed later, but… she admitted to me that she blacked out one night after drinking some water with Rory. I don't know exactly how or why they're together, but they are. And man, he's changed her."

"He changes everyone for the worse when he gets close to them," I said meekly.

"That can't be proved."

"He was my ex before. Before I met him, I was a good child. He changed me into the old Rachel you used to know." Victor looked slightly shocked and unnerved.

"Man, that guy is like a virus. Whoever he gets close, he saps 'em of life and turns them into something that they shouldn't be." Garfield and I nodded.

"Hey," Gar said quietly.

"What's up?" Victor responded.

"Would you… if… well, Rae told me that Rory would well, hurt me. And probably her. I was wondering if uhh… you could…"

"Beat him up?" Gar chuckled slightly.

"If he tries to hurt us, yeah."

"Why don't you do it?"

"Well… I'm… not a fighter." Victor's eyes bulged out of his head almost… something very creepy that I did NOT need to see.

"Not a fighter?! Dude, one swing to that guy and you knocked out his tooth!"

"I guess…"

"What he means," I spoke up. "Is that it's not something he normally does. He was just defending us because he couldn't take the abuse that we were receiving. It's like… he snapped. And that was it." Garfield nodded quickly after.

"Eh… I'd like to pound that little punk's face in," he punched his fist in his palm. "So I guess if he tries to mess with one of us, we can show him who's boss." Garfield smiled brightly for the first time since the situation, and I couldn't help but put on my own grin.

"You're the best man."

"Yeah… anyway, I'm heading out now. I just wanted to make sure you two were alright."

"We are. Thank you for checking up on us Victor. That's really kind of you," I gave another grin to him.

"Hey no problem. That's what friends do." He got up and left after that.

"Man, what a great guy," Garfield sighed and relaxed on the couch.

"Mmhmm…"

"Rae, want to watch some T.V.?" I nodded. It's a good thing Victor agreed to help us. Maybe he can knock some sense into that bastard. I sat down next to Gar, but I wasn't really paying attention to the T.V. What Victor said earlier at the pool hall has gotten to me slightly. I don't know if he likes me or not, and I really want to know. It's sad, I wish I could control it. Maybe I should give him a test? But what… I cleared my throat, getting his attention.

"What's up Rachel?"

"Gar, out of curiosity… have you ever had a girlfriend before?" He shook his head.

"Why?"

"Like I said, just curious."

"Oh, right… sorry."

"It's alright."

"Would you want one?" I asked bravely. I never got anywhere before by being a coward, so what good will being one now do? I still couldn't help but feel a little tense. He shrugged.

"I've… not really put a lot of thought into it, actually. I mean it would be pretty cool if I had one. I guess I can live without one for now though." I nodded, and his attention went back the television. So it's a good thing he wants one. Yes, very good. Maybe my "test" will have to wait until later… or now. I put my head on his shoulder. My breathing became tenser. I felt his body also slightly tense, but then relax. I smiled, thankful he can't see it. I took a deep, silent breath, and this time said what I wanted him to hear last night.

"Gar."

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you found me."

"I'm glad I found you too…" I giggled slightly, and my body eventually fell into a state of sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Hey, I know this update is a little later than my usual updates now, but is any author reliable when it comes to story updates? Heh, well last chapter was a toughie for me, but now that I got my muse back for this story, the rest is going to come easier. I finally got the plot moving along again in this chapter! Hooray! Anyway, I like to keep my ANs short, so enjoy!**

**P.S. if you're interested, check out my other Teen Titans story, Perils & Sacrifice. It's not an AU, because I just can't pass up writing a story with superpowers and all that for too long. I promise you will not be disappointed when you read it though. Anyway, enough talk from me.**

**Chapter 13**

I woke up to the blaring alarm clock at 7:00 AM. I groaned slightly, and lazily sat up… that's weird. The only alarm clock I remember seeing was in his room – oh. It shouldn't be surprising that I'm in his bed. Did he move me here? He must have. It is surprising how much I slept. I thought for a moment. Well, thinking is hard with a loud alarm clock blaring right in your ear. I shut it off and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I heard sizzling, and smelled the unmistakable aroma of eggs. He was standing at the door, though, before I could get out of bed.

"Hey Rae, how do you like your eggs?" I yawned before answering.

"Sunny side up."

"Alright, the table will be ready in a couple minutes. Go for a shower, they'll be ready by then." Before I could say anything, he was back out the door and it was closed. The bathroom being a room within the bedroom was a good thing. After a cold shower – yes, cold – I enjoy one every now and then, I got a pair of jeans and long-sleeved black t-shirt on. Breakfast passed quickly, but my mind wasn't really focused on it. The eggs were good, though. No other words were passed between Garfield and I before 7:48 came, just about four minutes to get to the bus stop. Kori was at the bus stop, and smiled brightly when she saw us both. Gar seemed a little shocked.

"Kori, what are you doing here?" Her smile changed. It almost seemed… sad.

"I worked over night. I did not sleep very well." She covered a yawn with her hand.

"Why?"

"Because I… I do not wish to speak of it here. Could we perhaps talk at the time the clock says it is of twelve?"

"Lunch time? Sure."

"Very good. Thank you. I do not feel comfortable chatting here." It still surprises me just how caring Gar can be sometimes.

"Friend Rachel, will you be there?"

"Of course, Kori." The bus came before any other words could be exchanged. No one talked on the bus – people I've seen in school avoided the three of us, even though they know that I'm not who I used to be. Still, I can't expect people to instantly become friendly or anything. I prefer it, really.

The school day seemed to go by so fast. Lunch was here very quick, or so it seemed, at least. Kori was sitting at a table already. Gar managed to find Victor and Richard in the halls, and dragged them along. We all sat at the table she was sitting at.

"Hello, Victor." Kori knew Victor already, apparently.

"Hey. We have first period together. Math, advanced calculus. We happened to be two people in class who had no other friends, and got paired up a lot by default. Eventually, we became good friends." Unexpected, but good nonetheless.

"Yes. Friend Victor does have a very unaccountable knowledge of the calculus. He has helped me very much."

"Hey, you helped me just as much, Kori." Eventually, odd conversations started picking up. Richard was sitting next to Kori because there was no room on the other side of the table, with us three. Being in the middle is not something I want to do again. Especially since I have to listen to conversations of which video game is superior, or why meat is better than tofu, or tofu is healthier, or… I couldn't even keep track. But what was more interesting to observe was Kori and Richard's conversation. I didn't pick up a lot of it, but I have noticed that Richard has been staring at her quite often, even when they weren't talking. I don't think Kori has recognized it, though.

"Rae! We need your opinion," Gar said to my right.

"And would this some how involve meat, tofu, or video games?"

"Actually, we wanted to know of which of the two you thought better: Obama, or Hilary." I looked at him slightly, and then looked back, thinking.

"All politics are generally the same thing to me. People who will say what anything in order to obtain power. And those people who seek power are corrupted, and gaining power could only do worse for them." I drank some apple juice. The table suddenly became quiet.

"Friends," Kori said quietly. All attention turned to her. "I have something… to tell you, as you know. Richard knows I did not stay in my home the previous night, as the rest of you do now. The reason for this is because… two nights ago, my parents went out for the night, on their anniversary. My sister, Kora, also visited. There is a problem with that." She took a deep breath. Kora? That is an interesting name. So is Kori, however. I suppose they can't be of American tongue. "Kora is… supposed to be in what one would call the asylum of insanity. I do not know how she escaped. But she had threatened my life with a gun. She is very good with words, and had coerced my parents into letting her stay. She told me that if I came near her, or her parents – she did not say that they were our parents – she said she would… kill me." It seemed to be too quiet. I was thinking hard. How can this situation be remedied?

"We'll call the police," Richard said.

"I don't think that will work," I said.

"Why not?" Richard asked, exasperated. "The police are like the guardians of the city. They'll help us." I almost laughed at his seriousness. But I returned just as serious.

"They won't help. I tried. Many times, actually. They never came. I don't think they even cared I called them, or tried to explain the situation. I called again a week later, and they hung up on me." I sighed. Child services did nothing, so what gave me the crazy idea the police would? I swear, they're so…

"Corrupt. Man, I can't wait to get out of this sorry excuse for a city," Victor said, grumbling after. "We got Rachel with police problems, yet they don't help her. Kori now has her sister at her house, and she seems dangerous. But, we will find a way to work around this." I shook my head slightly.

"Without being armed at an equal level as someone else, it's nearly impossible to help. What exactly can we do?" I rubbed my temples.

"Put a rat in her sheets," Garfield had said. Is he joking?

"That is a great idea!" Kori said, and gasped. "Kora has a fear of rats. If she is to believe that our house is infested with rats, she will not want to stay." She stood up and gave Gar a small hug across the table. I felt a pang of jealousy when he hugged her back, but made no face or didn't look at either of them. Richard looked just a little on the same level as me. When she sat back down, she continued. "Does anyone know where I can purchase rats?"

"Yeah. There's a pet store downtown, behind Hannah's Apartments," Gar contributed. Hannah's Apartments? It seems familiar. I guess it's where he… we? I don't know… live. "They sell all kinds of animals. Rats are no exception. The owner, Mike, should have more than enough rats. And I know him pretty well, so I can let him know that a cute red-headed girl is going to drop by, and as a small favour for me to knock the price off for you." Kori blushed slightly at the cute comment, and Richard frowned. I kept a straight face, staring at the cafeteria wall. He can't possibly like her, can he? I started feeling dizzy, but managed to not flinch when Gar waved his hand in front of my face. I needed to get outside.

"I need some fresh air. Alone." I got up and left without anything else. I opened the school doors and walked to the corner, out of sight from everyone else. I sighed, fingering the pack of cigarettes in my hand. The last pack I'll ever have? Trying to quit is so hard. Even with only one per day… plus, I skipped the smoke on a lot of days. Still… I could use one now more than ever. I put one in my mouth and lit it. I forgot how good it felt to have this poisonous smoke fill my lungs. I exhaled, and heard footfalls behind me. I turned around, and looked into the face of the one person I never want to see again in my life. Rory.

"Well, well, well. Still smoking that shit, eh?" I spat on his shoe.

"You got me into it." My voice remained a perfect monotone. I know that's when it's most intimidating. Shouting will just cause him to shout. Anyone can just shout – but to have a perfect monotone takes years of practice. I quickly adapted it whenever my father would shout. He would yell at me, I'd yell back, he'd kick me out of the house for hours and hours on end. The monotone worked wonders. I could keep my innermost thoughts a secret with a voice void of emotion. He smirked.

"Yeah, but I quit now. I suggest you do the same, or you'll die."

I almost laughed at his stupidity. "That's the most intelligent thing I've ever heard you say. For one, smoking won't _kill_ one. It will give them cancer, and then _that_ will be what kills them. Even though smoking may be the initial cause for cancer, it doesn't result directly in death."

"Boring me to death with facts? Haha, _Rae_, you don't know good conversation if it bit you in the ass."

"Oh, my mistake. I thought all conversation with you was a waste of time and breath." I tried to walk past him, but he put his arm and my shoulder and turned me around. I braced myself as I saw his fist collide with my face, and went down on my hands and knees.

"Don't think I forgot about what that little orphan did to me." How does he know about that? I shook my head, still woozy from the blow, but got up nonetheless and kept my distance. Rory is a very good fighter, as much as I don't want to admit it. Gar got lucky with that punch. Still, he was a black belt in karate and has years of self-defence training.

"You say nothing about Gar," I said, voice low and dangerous. Of course, he was immune to any of that. I swung a punch at his ribs, but he blocked and twisted my arm, and the following crack of his, followed by the pain in my shoulder, indicated that it was dislocated. I didn't grimace, no matter how much it hurt. And it hurt like hell. I backed off. I can't beat Rory if my life depended on it. He knows that, too.

"Gar, seems too unfitting for him. I like… annoying orphan who fails at stealing my girl." His two-punch combo delivered to my abdomen was too quick for me to block, and the pain there was definitely going to leave some bruises. I closed my eyes as they connected. I need to keep distance between us two, but he can run faster than me if I tried. Besides, I'd never run from a fight – even if I can't win it.

"I am not _your_ girl, you scum." I tried aiming a kick for his testes, but he blocked it with ease. He ducked low and made me trip, falling hard on my back. Luckily, I've fallen like that many times, and managed to not smash my head off the concrete. Still, my back would be sore for a week, and I won't be able to do any heavy lifting. It was hard to get up. I closed my eyes from a glint in the sunlight. I looked over to him and he had a knife…

"Maybe you want to reconsider that," he said, voice almost like a hiss. I boldly shook my head, and again spat on his shoe.

"Do your worst." The best thing about the monotone voice is that it never betrays fear – the ultimate weakness. If he knew I was scared, his victory would be sweeter. But like this, it would be bittersweet.

"Rachel… why did I ever break up with you?" he sighed. Is he trying to make me feel guilty? What a completely sorry excuse for a human being.

"Because you know I'd discover you cheated on me." He bared his teeth and looked angry. He drew the sword back, and I closed my eyes, preparing for the wound. I've been stabbed once – a long time ago. I was three when it happened.

The pain that would otherwise come with a knife wound was not there. I opened my eyes, and saw his wrist being held by Kitty. She twisted it, and it cracked. Kitty was the best known for the dirtiest moves in the book. She could break a bone with a very small amount of effort, and showed that trait quite admirably. The cry of pain from Rory was most satisfying, and the clang of the metal from the knife hitting the sidewalk also told me it was safe; especially when Tara offered me her hand. I took it and she helped me out.

"You stay here and be a good girl while we go beat the crap out of him," Tara said and gestured to a Rory holding his wrist. I nodded, and watched as Kitty and Tara both proceeded to beat him to a pulp. When they were finished, it was not a pretty sight. His clothes were stained with dry blood and his face looked very bad. Tara cracked her knuckles as she approached me. "That was fun. Rachel, you should get into fights you can't win more often."

"I didn't plan on that happening."

"Regardless, it was nice to pound his face in. Since we're not friends, the rule of "don't touch Rory" no longer applies. Plus, no offence, we know you could never beat him on your own."

"True. Thanks for doing this for me. Not just stopping him, but hurting him. Good." Kitty had an evil smile now.

"He won't be awake until after school. We made sure of it. That way, people will be able to see him and how bad he's been harmed." I nodded, kind of glad that we won't be taking this route after school. "Rae… listen, I'm not good at all this sincere stuff, but… if you ever have any trouble, don't hesitate to come to us. We may not be exactly friends any more, but we will help you out in a crisis. We'd expect you to do the same." I nodded again, shocked at her. I've never seen Kitty do sincere.

"Yeah, we miss having you around. We tried calling your house, but your father always answered and he said you're never there. We won't push for details or ask questions, but, would it kill you to at least call once in a while?" Tara frowned, almost pleading. I smiled slightly.

"No, it wouldn't. I'm sorry I haven't called in a while, but lots of things have been coming up. One day, I'll explain it all to you. But, the bell just rang. I'll call you later on in the week. I need to head to class now. Sorry this leave is kind of abrupt – but I will watch your back when you watch mine. Later." They both nodded and I stalked off, feeling a little weird. They had said words to me I've never heard when we were friends. I don't see a chance of them reforming in the future, but that doesn't mean we can't keep in contact. They are great people – just if you mess with them, you're going to be sorry. They have never been that kind to me, but I won't soon forget it. I smiled at Gar as I entered drama class, a little late, and he smiled back. There was no bruises on my face after the mirror confirmed that, so everything would be fine until later.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Gar and I stood outside the office. I still felt jealous from his earlier comment towards Kori, but it was easily hidden. I'll have to ask him about it later.

"You are sure you want to stay?" He looked distraught. He sighed.

"No, I'm not. But… I have to. I can't let you stay here with that… that… jerk. I can't let you live in a house you don't want to live in. Besides, no matter how much I'll miss dad, there is a chance I could find my real one here. And I can always stay in contact with him, too. I have my mind made up. Are you coming in with me?"

"Of course I am." I nodded and he held the door open for me, and I walked in, him following close behind. We walked up the long, brown desk, stationing many people. We went to the very back, and the last person at the desk was a plump woman with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. She smiled brightly at us when we approached, although it seemed strained when she looked at me.

"Could we speak to Mr. Smith?" Garfield asked before she could say anything. "It's important."

"I am sorry, but Mr. Smith is not taking any private visitors right now." Garfield looked down, sad, and started walking towards the door. I walked up to the desk, and stared her in the eye. I heard Gar's walking stop. When I spoke, my voice was low and menacing.

"What my friend Garfield means about important is that this particular thing is life-changing important. Now, are you going to let us see Mr. Smith, or am I going to have to go into his office, and drag him out myself so he can speak to him?" My voice and face held steady. I saw all of the colour drain from her face. She turned on the intercom, and spoke in a squeaky voice.

"Mr. Smith… miss Roth and a Garfield are here to see you, I'm sending them on." Before he could reply, she turned it off and pointed towards a closed door. Gar smiled at me, but only slightly, and I turned and led the way, opening the door and entering. I sat on one chair lazily, and Garfield hesitantly sat on the other. Mr. Smith looked displeased. He frowned.

"I suppose you threatened Ms. Mikin to enter…"

"Not necessarily, sir. Although I may have given off the vibe I was angry. I can't let something this important go on without notice for any longer. Garfield has some life-changing matters to discuss with you. Right, Gar?" He cleared his throat, but his voice was still hoarse when he spoke.

"Y-yes. Yes, very important."

"Could this not have waited until later?" I glared at him.

"For what reason, sir?" I was already losing my patience with him. I've heard rumours that he was a dick, but seriously… this is something else.

"I was in the middle of a very important financial statement for the school to the government, not that it's any of your business. Of course, knowing you, miss Roth, and your reputation, you'd probably acquire that information if I didn't tell you it, hm?" I smirked. Looks like he knows things most other people don't.

"Someone did his research. But, this visit isn't about this. It's about Garfield." He sighed.

"What is it, mister Logan?" He had a slight edge to his voice. Is he incapable of being informal?

"Well, Mr. Smith, sir… I was thinking… uhm, if I could…"

"Yes?"

"Uh, what would you say if I said… "it" was completed?" He gave me a subtle wink.

"Ah, yes. If you said so, then I would… miss Roth, would you please step out of the office a moment?"

"My friend Rachel can stay, Mr. Smith." He raised his eyebrow.

"I would have you home immediately. Why?"

"Then, what would you say if I wanted to stay?" He laughed after that, but composed himself quickly.

"That is your own decision. But, if you really wanted to, the school could no longer fund you. The financial statement was to provide for you for another week. However, if you are implying that it's done, then I will terminate it. You can stay, if you'd like. We just will no longer supply for you." I waited, Mr. Smith waited, and Garfield looked as if he were having world war three in his head. He sighed.

"It's not done yet sir." I raised my eyebrow, confused. Smith grew frustrated at this, and I heard an unpleasant word under his breath.

"How much longer could it possibly take?"

"Not too much longer, sir. Within two weeks max, I'd say." He stood up, exasperated.

"TWO weeks?! Oh my goodness! This is not good!" He started pacing and muttering to himself. I did, however, hear two interesting words. Miss Anders. Kori. But what about her? Garfield was looking all around the room, so I don't suspect he'd heard. I looked on the desk and saw a few printouts of the financial statement. Perhaps they were for other things? I quickly snatched one, folded, and hid it in my pocket within moments. I may not be as good or as fast as Tara, but I always was quieter than her. Something odd is up with Mr. Smith, and I am going to find out what. He finally stopped pacing and turned towards us.

"Alright, Mr. Logan. Although we will not be able to hold the Christmas dance this year, I believe this is more important. Is this all you had on your mind?"

"Yes sir! Thank you sir!" Gar stood up and shook his hand. He looked at me, his hand in the air, waiting to be shaken. I smirked, stood up, and walked out the door. Gar followed a few seconds after. Outside of the office, there were three familiar backs of heads. Kori, Victor, and Richard. Exiting, Kori's bright smile waiting, we greeted them.

"How did it go, friends?" she asked impatiently.

"It was so cool! You should've seen Rae! She made Mr. Smith look like an idiot, and Ms. Mikin looked like a scared child in a horror movie theatre!" Everyone laughed at it. Why is that so amusing? I shook my head.

"You give me too much credit."

"Only where it's deserved, babe." Garfield winked at me as he said babe. I hid my blush, my face betrayed no emotion… but how _dare_ he call me something like that! Where did he get the nerve to think… I swear, when we get back… he called me babe? Maybe he doesn't like Kori and is just a flirter? I hope so.

"Hey guys," Richard broke in from the uncomfortable silence. "How about we head back to my house?"

"But Richard, did you not say you had the mansion?" He blushed.

"I don't like to brag about my wealth… but if you want to call it that, then yeah. My parents are out of town for the next few weeks, so whoever wants to can crash there any day they want."

"SWEET! Party at Rich's!" Garfield bellowed, running out the door. Everyone ran out, following and giggling, and I sat back for a moment, getting an eerie feeling. I looked to the right, and saw at the end of the hall, Rory. He shouldn't be awake already. I watched as he disappeared behind a large group of passing people. I shuddered and followed them out, all of them waiting for me, each smiling.

"Which way Richard?" Victor asked.

"Oh, we wait here for a bus, which will take us down to Marin Street, where we get off, then head half a mile south from there, and then down a large set of stairs which takes us in a forested area. It kind of gets hard to explain from there…"

"No worries, man. I'm sure you know your way."

"I'd hope so. I've only been doing it the past four and a half years." It's amazing at how fast they've all become friends.

"Rachel, you seem quiet. Something up?" Victor asked me, concerned. I shook my head. Gar laughed.

"Rae's just shy." I scoffed.

"Shy? You are talking about the girl who has caused more pain and misery this year than all of you have combined your entire lives. I am not shy."

"That just means you're brave." He smiled. I shook my head.

"You realize that brave is the exact opposite of shy?"

"You're brave and shy."

"What?"

"What friend Garfield means is that you are brave in the meaning that you are not afraid to do actions to people you do not know because you had no feeling of regret if your hurt them. You are shy when you are with new people you are friends with because you have always thought through actions, and not words." He nodded and pointed at her.

"That's exactly what I mean." Curse you, Kori.

"That… is the… most inaccurate information ever." My words didn't give it away, but the heat in my cheeks probably did. They all started laughing. Yes, it did. "Stop laughing." Although I wanted to be forceful, I couldn't help but chuckle a bit myself. Just then, the bus arrived. Richard pulled out his wallet, and my eyes almost bulged out of my sockets, but my immense amount of self-control kept me in check. He has a load of money in there.

"Hey Stacy. I got four friends today. I'll be paying for them." She nodded, and he handed over twenty bucks, and then motioned for us to come in. He led the way to the back, and we took the seats there. Kori and Richard ended up sitting in the same seat, Victor took his own, and Garfield trapped me in my seat when he sat down beside me. Stupid window-seat…

"This is going to be a long bus ride guys, so get comfortable." Six other people came on the bus, each staying as far at the front as possible, them all talking. Chatting commenced animatedly for a while. Kori pulled out a bottle of water. She spilled some on a particular spot on Richard's pants, and offered to clean it up. His face was beat red. Everyone got a kick out of that, and Kori remained oblivious. It was entertaining. Garfield tried asking me if he can use my shoulder as a pillow, a few times, all to which I've said no. Victor put earphones in and blasted his music. Kori and Richard were having a silent conversation to themselves. I sighed, staring out the window. Gar didn't miss a beat.

"Something wrong?" Damn couple passing by…

"No, nothing at all."

"Then what's with the sigh?"

"It's nothing."

"It has to be something."

"Unimportant to you, Garfield." I still didn't look at him. He was quiet for a while. I looked at him, finally, and he was staring straight-ahead, gaze fixed out the front windows. "So, when are you going to ask her out?" He snapped out of his daze and looked at me funny.

"Huh? Ask who out?"

"Kori." His face was of pure shock.

"What? No, dude. I don't like her like that." I raised my eyebrow.

"You don't?" He shook his head. "You called her cute."

"Well, no duh. She's very cute! But, I just don't like her like that. She's a great friend, and stuff. Besides, between you and I, I think he and Kori might need a room soon." He gestured behind himself with his head, and I saw Kori, smiling contentedly, head lying on Richard's shoulder, who was also smiling, arm around her waist. I couldn't help but laugh at that sight.

"I guess they do look good together." I felt relief wash all over my body, my mind now relaxing, the jealousy finally fading. And, without warning, I felt something warm come over my hand. I looked down and saw Gar's own hand atop mine, his head facing the complete opposite direction. I turned away, looking out the window, and smiled slightly. Maybe there _is_ a chance with him after all.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hello, good news! Updates should now be expected more frequently from now on.** **And hopefully these chapters are up to your expectations, my good people. And if you have the time, don't be afraid to leave me a review, be it flame or praise.**

**Dedication to: Not G. Ivingname for review # 100! The first story to write it. Thank you, and thank you to all readers and reviewers.**

**Chapter 15**

I didn't know by long bus ride, Richard meant an hour and a half! My ass was numb as he exited and we all followed. The other people who entered the bus earlier were going in the opposite direction as us, because Richard motioned for us to follow him. We soon arrived at the large set of stairs, going down the mountain. It wasn't a big mountain, but it was the only safe way to walk down it. Gar was beside Richard, talking to him.

"So Richard, tell me… you got any siblings?" Garfield asked him.

"No."

"Ohh… how is it being an only child?"

"Eh, it's okay. But I get kind of lonely every now and then. Sometimes I wish I had a younger brother or sister to watch over me," he said, looking at Garfield.

"Or someone older to watch over you?" He shook his head.

"I've been practicing martial arts for years now. I can take care of myself." I could almost feel Gar's excitement flow through off that statement.

"Ooohhh! Can you do a back flip?"

"I can, but it's not easy to do. At least, not a perfect one. A perfect back flip takes pure concentration and control over all the muscles in the body. I've only been able to do one my entire three years of practicing martial arts," Richard explained. Everyone was listening intently. It really was interesting hearing about it.

"What's the difference between a perfect back flip and a… not perfect one?" Garfield's curiosity was amazing.

"Well, out of a fight, nothing. But, in one… it's a defensive measure that allows instant recovery time when landed. In the moment your opponent strikes, the flip should be performed. You should land and be able to counter-attack before they can recover. How it works is that with a perfect one, the person would be able to land with no pain coming to their ankles; they don't have to re-adjust them, which would take a moment to regain footing in a fight… and if you know anything about a fight, it's that footing is very important."

"Cool. How big is your house?" His short attention span was also amazing. Kori came up beside me.

"Hello, Rachel," she said softly.

"Hey Kori."

"How are you?"

"Fine."

"You are sure?" No, I wasn't sure.

"Yes." Kori frowned at me.

"If you say so, but I do not believe you." I shrugged. "But… perhaps you could help me?"

"I can try, depends on what with." She leaned in closer to me.

"I like friend Richard. He has proven to be extremely caring, kind, nice, wonderful, fantastic…" I held up my hand.

"I get the point," I whispered to her.

"And I am not sure of what he thinks of me." She played with a strand of her hair. To be honest, Kori has nice hair. It was long, down to her mid-back, and shiny. Red was its colour. But no normal red; it just seemed more vibrant than any other red I've seen. And she's one of the prettiest girls I've seen also. It was nicer than my black hair, which length went to my shoulder blades. It was as straight as possible. But it was dyed. Dyed black, because if I went somewhere with my hair its natural colour, I would be looked at as a freak. Violet hair is just not common in this world.

"Friend?" I shook my head of my thoughts, looking at Kori.

"I think he likes you." She gasped and covered her mouth, eyes wide. That was another thing… my purple eyes. So… different from her absolutely gorgeous green eyes. Not like Gar's green eyes. They were a darker green, and they were always so full of emotion. I hated wearing these damn brown contacts. Damn it. Why do I have to care what people think of me? Why do I want to be so noticed? If I didn't, I wouldn't have to hide behind this cheap dye and these damned contacts. I've worn them since even before I met Rory. God, why do I have to be such a freak?!

"Rae!" Gar was in front of me, waving his hand in front of my face. I held my breath, and counted to three, making sure that no tears will fall out of my eyes.

"What? Do you have to yell?"

"Oh, sorry… we were trying to get to you the past minute or so. You just kinda seemed to doze off there."

"Sorry, was just thinking."

"About what?"

"About… what I was going to do with my life," I covered up easily. He smiled.

"What are you going to do?" Curse him.

"I'm not too sure yet."

"Oh. Well you got a lot more important things to worry about right now. How about we just go inside the house? Everyone else is in there."

"Oh. Okay."

"But… Rae."

"Yes?" He scratched his head.

"Do you…" he paused. Do I what? Do I want to go out with him? Yes. I kept my breathing steady, preparing myself for any question he could possibly ask me. He didn't make eye contact with me. Does he want to ask me out? Maybe I should ask him…

"Do you know where my Britney Spears CD went?" I cringed at the mention of her name.

"I… don't know."

"Aww… I was going to throw it off my balcony." I chuckled a bit. "What?"

"I was thinking the exact same thing. Why did you even have it anyway?"

"I found it in the middle of a street. Anyway, let's go inside. Rich said there was tons of food. Come on!" He grabbed my hand and half-dragged me in the house. Good thing he wasn't facing me, or else he might see my slight blush. I forced it down and he led me all the way to the kitchen, where it was quickly being torn apart by Victor. Richard sat there, seemingly helpless, protesting meekly as Vic commenced in devouring all the meat he could safely eat in his fridge.

"But… Vic… you need…"

"Vic! Leave some for the rest of them!" Gar yelled, and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around with a huge piece of ham in his mouth and he growled. I shuddered… that is creepy.

"What? You don't want any?"

"Dude I'm a vegetarian, and you're eating all the meat. Don't you think Rae, Kori, and Richard want some?" He cocked his eyebrow, staring at Victor.

"Well, it seems that one of Rachel's hands is busy right now," Victor said, indicating our two still joined hands. I forced mine away and blushed furiously and Gar doing the same.

"Just get me some tofu…" an awkward silence passed, and I felt the tension growing stronger and stronger. A tear trickled down my face. Luckily, I was facing away from everyone.

"Richard, where's your bathroom?"

"Upstairs, third door on your left." I nodded, and quickly ran to the stairs and up them, and proceeded to the third door and knocked. Nothing, so I opened and entered. I let tears finally drip down my face freely. I removed my contacts and cried silently, all the tears going into the sink. Puffy eyes stared back at me in my reflection. God, why am I such a crybaby? What the hell is making me like this? I almost punched the mirror… more tears fell. I got a towel and started wiping them away, but to no avail. They kept coming… although very quietly.

I sighed, the tears finally stopping… although this… this _depression_ did not. It doesn't make any sense… I've never been depressed in my life. Is it because I've never let me emotions out before that I'm now feeling depressed because of it? Gar clarified with me that he didn't like Kori… so that was out of the question. Maybe they are tears of happiness… no. I don't feel happy, even with my new friends. Maybe the grief of losing Kitty and Tara is finally catching me? Maybe… I do miss them.

I sighed. If only I show my true colours… literally. But I think it would be too much. I washed my face with some water from the sink. Although I still feel like I want to cry, I have at least let some of it out. I walked back downstairs, and before I entered the kitchen, I heard arguing.

"It is so not murder! Meat is the way of life. It represents all things delicious, and it is the core of every meal. You don't see a meal made without meat in it!"

"I do! Every day I eat something, it has no meat. It may look like meat sometimes, but it really isn't! Plus, vegetables are often in meals as well!"

"But vegetables just taste bad!"

"Most of them taste like nothing!"

"And that's bad!"

"Friends…"

"It is so not bad!"

"It is too! And you're just jealous because there is more vegetables than meat!"

"Oh yeah? And what proof of that do you have?"

"Friends!"

"All the proof I need! Any wildlife you see that's green is edible to animals, and some even to humans!"

"Oh yeah, sure! And a dead animal can feed a family of four! I don't see your little vegetables feeding that many!"

"We can mass grow vegetables!"

"We can mass breed animals!"

"FRIENDS!" Kori screamed. All eyes turned to her. "You do not need to argue of which product is better. You can both simultaneously enjoy each of your own and not bicker to the other."

"She has a point," Richard added. Gar and Victor were fuming at each other.

"Fine."

"Okay." I smiled now that that was out of the way.

"Do you have tea?"

"Oh yeah, it's in the cupboard." He got out a box of herbal tea and I smiled slightly. He also started filling the kettle with water.

"Hey Richard let me take care of that, you get your own food, 'kay?" Gar said to him.

"Uhh, okay sure." He smiled and took the kettle and put it on the stove and turned it on. Soon, everyone had their own dish of food and sat at Richard's rather large table in the dining room. Gar had tofu, and lots of it, with a lot of vegetables. Kori had mustard-flavoured ham with mustard all over it. Victor had normal ham and ribs. Richard had kielbasa and crackers. I had a salad. Everyone ate in silence for the most part. When the food was eaten, Richard cleaned up the dishes and came back out.

"Who's up for some football?"

"Football? Sweet! Let's go!" Gar hopped out of his seat and ran outside.

"I'm in."

"It would be joyous."

"Rachel?" I looked up from the table.

"The teams would be un-even."

"So? It's not fun unless everyone plays. So come on." I sighed.

"Alright, fine."

The football game lasted four hours. The teams were Gar, Vic, and I against Richard and Kori. Kori proved to be very strong. And it's a little weird considering she has such a small frame. Victor couldn't out-block her. Although her speed could use some more work. Still, that girl packs a whopping. She even easily took down Victor with a tackle. I noticed Richard was holding back slightly whenever he tackled me. He might think I'm fragile or something. Honestly, you'd think my reputation would've said something about me. Oh well, what's done is done. Kori ended up staying at Richard's, and Victor got his father to pick him up. He would've offered us a ride, but his dad was being a prick, as he said. That left us to take the bus.

"What I don't understand is why Richard lives so far off. I mean, why does he go to a school so far away?"

"Well… since you are new to town, you'd know that Red Hill High is the closest high school to where he lives. He'd have to travel much farther out in any other direction before he'd be able to get to another school."

"Ohh, I see. That makes sense now. Hm, I wonder why his parents weren't there?"

"I don't know. Maybe they're at work, or at the casino, or something."

"Casino? Aw man, I want to go there."

"You want to go anywhere where the word fun can be used as an adjective."

"You are so right." He smiled at me and the bus finally stopped at our stop. We got off and proceeded to enter the library to fill out some résumés so we can look for jobs today. Tomorrow, we're going to get the court case.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Gar sat, looking over and over again his e-mail that he was sending to his foster father in Africa. He sighed. "Rae… this is hard. I mean… I… I want to go back to Africa, but I want to stay as well. You need me so much. But, my dad… I don't want to do that to him. Why is this so hard?" Luckily, we got a computer in the library far away from anyone else, so we could talk without eavesdroppers.

"Look, I'm not forcing you to stay here. I know how hard something like this must be for you. If you leave, I'll just go back to living with my dad and deal with it. Although, no one else will probably know about it. If you stay, then we can fight him." I took his hand. "Together." He blushed slightly, turning his head and trying to hide it, but I saw it. He squeezed my hand and smiled brightly at him, and I gave him a small grin back. "Are you sure you want to stay?" He nodded, and I moved our hand, and together we clicked send. He sighed.

"I know he'll be really mad or depressed about me staying in America, but he will understand. I'm sorry those kind of details had to go out to someone who you hardly even know."

"It's alright. I know you, and I trust you enough about this." He smiled widely at me. After we printed off a bunch of résumés each, Gar got an e-mail back from his dad. We both held our breath as he opened it. He was right… his dad was really depressed.

_Gar,_

_I'm most sad that you have decided you want to stay in America. I completely understand why, and for your Rachel friend, I am very sorry to hear about that. I will not tell another soul about any of this, I promise. I will miss you terribly, my son… but she needs you more than I need you. I'll fill out the papers tomorrow for you to stay in America. Even though you aren't yet 18, I can pull some strings._

_Do not fret, you two will be able to live in peace. I am going to be sending you monthly cheques so that you'll have some extra cash, jobs or not. I want you to stay in touch with me after this, even if it is hard for you to. I don't want to be completely left out of my son's life. I'm surprised that this was the girl you had to deal with on your mission, but I am glad you two have become really good friends instead of enemies._

_Oh, and don't try to say you don't want to find your parents. I know you do, and maybe one day you will. America is a big country… but if you keep searching and your heart truly is set to that goal, then you will find them one day. I'm going to miss you so much. Please… don't forget about me Garfield. I want you to come visit me one day, or I'll come visit you. Whatever the case is, we need to see each other one day. Well, I have to go… I, uh, found a date. I know how you always pestered me about finding another woman, and I guess the grief from losing Rita is finally tolerable. I'll never forget her though… anyway, I have to go before I become too sentimental on you. I love you, Garfield._

_Steve_

"I hate doing this to him."

"I'm sorry…"

"But, I have to. Rae, we're going to take him down no matter what." I couldn't help but feel warm inside. He was going to help me… out of the goodness of his heart. "Anyway, let's head home, I want to grab a nap before we go job hunting. You mind?"

"No, not at all. You deserve one after that." Once we arrived at his house, he quickly went to the couch and lay down, quickly falling off to sleep. I got out that sheet of paper I stole from that retard VP at our school earlier. I scanned it over. My eyes widened in shock, and disbelief. I read it again, and again… of course, it would only make sense… I sighed, and read it again to make sure what I was reading was not some sort of joke. It was no financial statement.

Melvin Smith, vice principal of Stoneson High School of Higher Learning. The events of December 16th, 2006, still ring in our memories to this day. The two-year anniversary of the death of Mr. and Mrs. Logan is marked on the calendar this day. It is such an unfortunate loss, as these two individuals were among the most selfless people to live on this planet. However, we do not forget Mark and Marie or their accomplishments. What they had done was proven to be groundbreaking in the sciences everywhere.

Mark, a geneticist, was able to isolate the genome for cancer and nearly counter-act its destructive nature. Had he not perished on that fateful day, he probably would have found a cure for the virus. That is not to say his other accomplishments were not in vein. Marie Logan, who had studied the affects of diseases on animals, was the perfect partner for Mark. She was able to easily locate diseases within animals. More specifically, she had found the Sakutia disease. These two had worked together to completely cure this disease in an animal.

This is mostly common knowledge to this day. What is not known is that the performed animal immediately started having side effects. The type of animal will remain unnamed in this letter.

Foremost, the animal's fur had tinted to a green colour. It was slightly strange, but the cure did seem to have remove Sakutia from it. Side effects soon took toll, apart from the green skin. The animal was able to re-arrange its bone structure completely, along with its genetic make-up and form. Essentially, the animal was able to transform into an entirely different animal.

Due to this unpredictable outcome, the animal had to be put down without hesitation, or else it would cause much confusion to scientists and the animal kingdom. Though it was put down, it is still being looked into and Mark and Marie's work is still attempting to be recreated to this day. So far, there has been no one able to duplicate what the two have accomplished.

That, perhaps, is their greatest achievement together. They are well known for it to scientists everywhere and are looked upon as nearly gods for their work in the science world. Even still, their demise was inevitable. On the day of December 18th, 2006, the two were enjoying a rafting experience in white water rapids… on an unknown river to them. The rapids had gotten too rough eventually, and they had lost all control of the raft. It had gone careening off of a waterfall. They did not survive.

Garfield Logan, their only child, is now participating in Stoneson High School of Higher Learning. He is here from Africa, for what he thinks is a mission to make one Rachel Roth into a better person. However, this is not truly the reason he is here. He is here so I may keep a watchful eye on him. I, Melvin Smith, Garfield's uncle, feel I have to keep an eye on him, as I am a relative to him. Steve Dayton, his foster father in Africa, has done a good job of keeping him protected under his watchful eye.

It is time now, though, for Garfield to reside in America. He needs to learn the truth about his parents, an-

And there it cuts out… tears dripped and hit the paper from my eyes. Now it all makes so much sense…

I folded it up and put it away. Garfield doesn't need to know about this quite yet. I don't want to put more onto his conscience, not after what just happened. How would he take it? I still can't believe Melvin is his uncle… that is so shocking. But, it doesn't change him from being a dick, Gar's uncle or not. I calmed my tears. This is depressing… he was so happy and intent on finding his parents. Why… why did they disown him? Why put him up for adoption? I scribbled a note down saying that I had some business to take care of and told him to wait for me until I got back. I wouldn't be that long – I just had to go to the school and ask Melvin about this. The bus was right there as I exited the building, thankfully.

I marched in the school, now empty. I entered the office and stormed pass Ms. Mikin, and right into his office. He jumped in his chair and the phone hit the floor. He picked it up and apologized to whomever he was talking to and hung it up quickly.

"Miss Roth! It is rude to-" but he couldn't finish as I took out the paper and threw it down hard on his desk, doing my best to keep my eyes dry.

"Why… why didn't you say anything earlier?" He paled, looking almost ghostly.

"I-…"

"Never mind. Why did Gar's parents put him up for adoption?" He sighed.

"His parents… they… they were great people. But careless. They… they had intercourse unprotected one night, and resulted in her being pregnant. They wanted an abortion, but I did talk them out of it. I couldn't talk them out of putting him up for adoption. They wanted nothing to do with the young boy. I would've taken him myself, but the fact was that I was in a tight financial situation back at that time, and taking him in would've caused me to go bankrupt. Miss Roth, I am most sorry for this outcome. I wish you didn't have to discover it like this… have you told mister Logan yet?" I shook my head.

"I can't tell him, Melvin. You have to tell him yourself. You're his uncle, you're his only living relative." He ran his hand through his non-existent hair. "Were you planning on giving him that letter?" He gulped.

"I… I was. I know it is a stupid idea. But… now that you're here, I'm going to have to tell him myself, aren't I?"

"Yes, you're going to have to. Now let's go."

The trek back to the apartment was a short one. Melvin was getting more and more nervous as we approached. The door was open instantly, and Gar looked surprised and confused as we stood there. "Gar, Melvin has something important to tell you. A lot of somethings." I nodded at him, and he sat down, Gar at the other end of the couch, all ears, but still confused-looking. He sighed and dove right into his story. I watched, standing, as Garfield's face remained completely stoic through the whole explanation. Through the telling of their accomplishments, through their death, how his mission was a ploy to get him here, how he was his uncle, and the fact he wasn't a wanted child by them. It is truly heartbreaking…

Gar was silent after the story finished, but he finally spoke up. "You know, I'm glad I figured out all this from a relative, and glad I actually have one, even though he's a slight jerk. Sorry, uncle, but you are. I… guess I should be really sad, never knowing my parents, or anything, but I'm kind of glad. If my parents didn't want anything to do with me, then I wasn't a burden on their lives. And I'd be told all my life how I wasn't wanted, and probably feel so out of place in the world, and maybe even be suicidal. But, with all my foster parents, I was able to live a somewhat happy life. No one ever told me they didn't want me, or anything like that. Thank you, uncle Melvin." I almost shook my head. How can he take all of that so lightly? I almost couldn't believe it. He has such good self-control. Melvin smiled slightly.

"You're welcome, Garfield. I apologize, but I must head out now. I have important matters to attend to. We will speak again. Have a good day." And with that, he got up and left quickly. He got up, not saying a word, walked towards me, and his next action surprised me so much I almost fainted.

He kissed me, right on the lips.

**A/N: Hmm, I think this chapter had a lot of plot twists in it... I hope it wasn't expectant, I did my best to keep all of this stuff hidden up until this point. This story is nearing its end! I will be most sad when it does end... but it's still got, maybe two more chapters after this. There's still quite a few loose ends I have to tie up. Although some of this story will remain open for you to think on. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I know all you people out there have been waiting for that little ending for a LONG time now. Make sure to tune in next time to Life Changing Experiences! Sneak peek: Rory meets Trigon. Thank you for reading! (Wow, longest A/N to date for me.)  
**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

I closed my eyes; extremely surprised… that he's actually _kissing_ me! I almost pushed him away, placing my hands on his shoulders. I wrapped them around his neck and pulled him closer, finally kissing him back. His arms found themselves around my waist. He stopped kissing me and he laid his head down on my shoulder.

"Shit… I'm so sorry Rae…" I smiled.

"No, Garfield, don't be sorry. I… am glad that happened. I… like you."

"I like you too, but knowing how awesomely smart you are, you probably figured that out by now." I laughed.

"It doesn't take a genius to put together the conclusion that someone kissing me means that they like me."

"Yeah… heh…" A moment of silence passed; the two of us still in our warm and comforting embrace. "So… do you want to go look for jobs now?"

"In a moment." I sighed contentedly. I forgot how nice it felt to be held in a boy's arms, but Gar's arms feel different, different from Rory's. His feel… caring and full of meaning. Rory's was just… lacking. After another minute, I let go.

"This mean we're in a relationship now?"

"If it didn't, I would kill you." I laughed after his eyes widened. "Yes Gar, it does."

"Phew, okay. I thought I was in trouble for a second." He scratched the back of his neck and I smiled at him. After we collected our résumés and put them in a backpack, we headed out to find jobs. Even if Steve is going to send us money, we still need to be able to fend for ourselves.

Half-way to the pool hall where we decided we'd drop a résumé off, we saw… oh no, not him. He ran towards us.

"Hey! Hey! Rachel!! RAAACHELLLL!" Gar looked at him funny and I put my hand over my eyes, sighing.

"Hey dude. Who are you?"

"My name's Lawrence. I'm a good friend of Rachel's." Yeah, in his dreams.

"Really? I thought…"

"Hey, Lawrence. What brings you here?" He put down his backpack and pulled out a binder.

"Math; I heard from someone you were going around town today to find jobs. I thought I'd catch you and tell you some mathematical facts about different work places." My eye twitched.

"As much as that would be nice, we have to get going. We're very busy." He chuckled.

"Nonsense! I'll come with you guys! I'll tell you everything! Oh and think you could help me with my English work later as well?"

"Why do you need help with English?" I groaned, trying to be nice.

"You're like, the bestest at English!"

"Best…"

"See!" Lawrence just appeared to notice Garfield for the first time. He stuck out his hand. "Oh hey, didn't notice ya how you were all quiet and stuff here. My name is Lawrence and I'm top student in math of all the school." Gar took his hand reluctantly and shook it.

"Uhh… I'm Gar, and I'm from Africa."

"OH COOL! How is Africa? Is it hot there? Do you get snow? Why are you here?" It was going to be a LONG day…

After spending about two and _half _**hours** with this annoying child called Lawrence, Gar and I had finally ditched him. Apparently he was just as sick of him as I was… and how he got rid of him was… quite good. He kissed me, after telling Lawrence we wanted some alone time. I didn't see it coming, but… I enjoyed it, at least. And it got rid of him.

"…and she walked into the store, and said 'OH MY EGGS!'" He finished his lame joke, chuckling madly at the end of it. I graced him with a small smile.

"Do you think these up yourself or do you find them online?"

"Uh… I think them up myself. Are they really that bad?"

"Well, I wouldn't say they were _that_ bad." He grinned.

"Thanks. You're the first to actually give them even just a little bit of praise."

"I never said they were good." He frowned.

"You really gotta do that?" I smirked.

"Yes. You don't expect me to be a boring girlfriend who agrees with everything you say or do, do you?"

"No. But you could at least laugh!"

"Oh. I'm sorry. Hah. Hah. Happy?" I asked.

"No fake laughs!"

"There are rules now?"

"Yeah, rules. You better like my jokes!"

"Or else… what?"

"I won't kiss you as much." He smirked devilishly at his statement. I raised my eyebrow.

"We've only kissed twice. And I'm sure you'll want to kiss me as much as I want to kiss you… oh."

"Haha! I'm irresistible! Go Garfield! Rachel can't resist you! It's your birthday!"

"Yeah. You got that right." I stopped him, grabbed his neck, and pecked him on the lips. Incidentally, it shut him up and made him stop in his tracks. "What?"

"Rae, your kisses rock." I blushed.

"Just be quiet and keep walking." He mock-saluted with a serious face, except broken by his grin at the last second, and I chuckled. "You are a humorous boyfriend, even if your jokes aren't the best in the world. Consider yourself lucky. You have made it on the list that Rachel Roth considers humorous. Not many make it there." I smiled. It was true… he was humorous, and one of the few that can actually make me laugh. Or even smile.

"My uncle told me you were a hard shell to crack… and if I made you laugh, then that means that I've broken it open."

"Y- but before my statement could be finished a solid mass collided with me and tackled me to the ground. I gritted my teeth, pain now enveloping my entire back from the hard collision on the concrete. I felt hard punches land on my sides, and then whatever presence was on me suddenly was gone. I finally opened my closed eyes, and in blurry vision saw two figures fighting. One I could make out to be Rory, because I can never mistake that asshole. And the other figure fighting… was… is…

"Rae! Are you okay!?" Gar came running to my side. "Lemme know where it hurts! Is anything broken? Oh God Rae… please be okay!" I couldn't respond. I shook my head, watching the two battling figures. My… dad…?

"You… asshole…" dad seethed through his teeth and his giant fist collided with Rory's teeth, but he seemed nearly unfazed by it as he rushed my dad and delivered a bunch of blows to his abdomen.

"Rae?"

"Th-that's… dad…" my mind was at a blank, my mind leaving my body and my brain unable to comprehend this information. My dad… is fighting… Rory…

"Troy. I never liked you."

"You'll pay for what you did to her!" he screamed and kicked Rory in the stomach, too quick for him to block. Rory pulled out a knife from his sock and stabbed my dad in the leg.

"RAE! We gotta… what do we do…"

"I- I don't know. Dad's hurt…" dad really cares about me…? I couldn't move. My body wouldn't respond… Gar seemed just as mesmerized as me. Blood was pouring from his leg, and Rory stabbed him in the stomach. My dad overpowered him and took the knife and stabbed it in Rory's shoulder, and then his fist collided with his ribs.

That must've been with all his might, because cracks were heard, even from here. Rory screamed in agony and took the knife and stabbed it in dad's stomach. There was a gurgling sound from him… he took the knife and slit Rory's throat harshly. He grabbed his throat and rocked back and forth before falling to his knees and gagging. I watched in horror as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his body dropped…

Dad fell to one knee and coughed hard. My body finally responded. I got up, ignoring the shooting pain all throughout my back and side and rushed towards my dad, Gar right by my side. I knelt down. Dad was on his back now.

"Dad… dad!"

"Rae… chel… I'm so sorry." He coughed up some blood. Tears filled my eyes. "For everything… I did… for my causing of… of your mother leaving. My… cause of… your pain. I… want…ed to do this… earlier… but I couldn't find… find… you. I… realized my mistake… an… and… then when I… saw you, Rory… tackled you… and I… I snapped. I… the blood… it's going. Rachel, forgive me." I cried and hugged him.

"Dad, you're forgiven… but… but things will be okay! We'll get you to the hospital! And… and… you'll get some blood! I'll give you some of mine. You… dad… don't…" but it was of no use… his eyes closed… the bleeding and breathing ceased… "DAD!!"

I don't know how long I stayed there crying, until I felt hand on my shoulder. "I… I called the ambulance…" a hoarse voice responded. Gar…

"They'll be here shortly. Rae… Rachel. I, look… I don't know… exactly what… why he just did that… or even the odds of it, but he really did care about you. He… he seemed to be blinded. I don't think he meant to cause you any pain. Maybe he was over-protective… he really did care about you, though. And what he did, maybe he wasn't such a bad person after all. Okay, he killed Rory. Maybe he was.

But that doesn't mean he didn't have a good heart, or one that couldn't be brought back from the bad…ness. If he didn't die… then maybe he would've seen the error of his ways. I can't say for sure if he would've or wouldn't have… but he can rest in peace finally, Rae. At least before he died, he did see the pain he caused you, and wanted to better himself." I sighed, standing and hugged Gar tightly, the sounds of sirens going off in the distance…

**A/N: Holy, that was some ride! Phew, only one more chapter of this story to go. I hope you all have been enjoying this as much as I am with writing it! And if you hate it and are waiting to flame, only one more chapter to go! The chapter is probably going to be a long one, but it could change. Thank you all for reading! Only one more to go now.  
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	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

_-One week later…-_

A comforting hand was placed on my shoulder, resting, the rain falling on this day all too cliché… the sound of the priest chatting away some religious mumbo jumbo… my already soaked clothing clinging to my skin, which is now absorbing water…

I didn't pay attention to any of it, though. He was dead. _Dead_. Gone from my life, never to speak to me again, dead. I can't ask for anything more than what his dying breath had said to me. What he said spoke to me louder than any other time he screamed at me, more than any time he forced me out of the house over night, more than when he caused mom to leave, more than anything he's ever done.

It was a last-moment redemption… it happens all too often. Does it happen because he died and wanted to amend himself at the last second… or did he really, honestly, truly realize his mistakes and wanted to tell me? Either way, it made me feel better… but when his life got taken, the world came crashing down around me… eyes closing… tears falling… the sound of rain hitting the ground, trees, graves, and bodies… the priest finishing his ramblings… the hand on my shoulder becoming an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into a tight embrace…

The priest and others who had come quickly cleared out. Gar and I didn't have enough money to pay for the full funeral, so we just got the basic… it's the least I can do for him… and all I can do for him. A warm, dry hand wiped the tears away from my face.

"Rachel…" it whispered… "Do you want to go home?" I shook my head.

"I… need a moment alone…" his head nodded, his green eyes fixed on mine. He kissed me on the forehead, then stepped back a few steps, joining Victor, Richard, Kori, Tara, and Kitty. I knelt down at the grave, touching its wet marble. It was bone chilling…

"You made mistakes all your life, dad. You hurt the others around you in blindsided by your own greed and selfishness. You damaged me so much… so much so it caused my life to go into a downward spiral, become one of the 'Feared Three'. I didn't know at the time, or care, at what kind of consequence of not obtaining an education would do to my future. My life… it would have been ruined.

"To say you were the cause for it would be unfair… because Tara and Kitty had helped with that. All of you drug me down into self-loathing, so I turned it into anger and then anger into remorselessness to hurt others. I know now is a stupid time to tell you all of this, dad… but if I don't at least say it… I'll feel guilty for the rest of my life.

"I almost feel as if your death is my fault, or I'm an indirect cause to it. I never wanted you to die, dad. No matter how many times I did wish it upon you, I never wanted the day to come. I didn't want to see you… well, you get the point. People would probably say you had it coming, which you probably did, but…

"What you said to me before you died, it spoke to me. Louder than any of your other actions or screams before that. It… it showed me you cared about me, I don't know about love, dad, but it was at least care. You probably did it because you didn't know any other way to raise me. You were probably raised that way too, weren't you?

"I… I'm sorry, dad. I know I shouldn't be, but I can't help but apologizing, because I do feel guilty… if I had acted faster, maybe I could've helped you. I was just so amazed at what you did, though.

"Well… thanks to a special boy, named Garfield Mark Logan, I feel… as if my life can finally get back on the right track. I… wish that you were here to see that, to cheer me on, to provide advice and opinion. But no amount of wishing is able to bring anyone back to life.

"You may not be here in person, but… I'll always remember you, dad. I… sort of, deep down, always knew you had cared about me. In the end, I can't help but thank you as well. Because if you weren't one of the causes for my lifestyle, Garfield never would've come. That… that's the gift you've given me. Your death… it wasn't in vain, dad. I'm not trying to say I'm happy that you're dead, but I'm happy that this happened… not your death, that didn't need to be.

"But it did make me realize how much I appreciate what you did for me in the long run of my life. Thank you. I… love you, dad." I pulled a single black rose out of my jacket pocket, still dry from the protection, and placed it down on the grave. I sighed and stood up, facing my friends, and walked towards them.

"Are you ready?" I nodded. He took my hand in his, and we all proceeded into the three waiting limousines. Gar and I got into our own, Kori, Richard, and Kitty got into one, and Victor and Tara got in the last.

"You say everything you needed to?"

"Yeah… I hope." He grinned at me, but not his normal grin. It was cheerless.

"Well… that was really depressing. Remind me to not attend funerals any time in the future." I gave a half-smile.

"As long as no one else…" he put his hand on mine.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "Let's try not to think about that."

"It's so unfair, Gar. Why'd he have to go, right when saw his errors?" I sobbed, a single tear dripping down my face. He sighed.

"I wish I could answer that for ya, Rae. Life has a cruel way of mocking people. So cruel that man can't ever understand it, no matter how hard they try. This was one of those situations…"

"Well… where do you think he went?"

"In the dirt."

"No… which place?"

"Place…? Oh! Rae, I believe in reincarnation. Your dad's going to be reborn again, and seeing the error of his ways is going to carry over with him." I cocked my eyebrow.

"You… are not just saying that to try and cheer me up?" I asked him.

"No. I truly do believe in that."

"… I hope you're right. I don't think… he'd make it…"

"Shh, Rae. You've had an exhausting week. Try to get some rest." His voice was so quiet, so hard to hear… so peaceful. I laid my head on his shoulder, and he started humming a song… Greensleeves… my mother used to do the same… before sleep finally enveloped me…

A bump woke me up, followed by the stopping of motion from the limo. A hand was on my head, slowly stroking my hair.

"Rae, we're here."

"I'm awake." He didn't move after the car stopped, his strong, caring arms still holding me. "Gar?" His body trembled against mine… "Gar… are you okay?" He wiped his face quickly.

"Sorry you had to see that… I guess the reality just caught up with me. I didn't get a chance to meet him, so it's probably silly that I'm crying."

"No, you probably feel my pain… I didn't know you were an empath, Gar." He blushed.

"I only learn from the best. Shall we go…?" I nodded and exited the car. Richard was kind enough to host a feast after the funeral… I don't know why, but it's a good idea. Especially considering how much it made me hungry…

It didn't stop raining, so Rick couldn't barbecue like what was initially planned, so he ordered pizza and Chinese food.

"Rae," Kitty approached me as I was coming out of the bathroom.

"Yeah?"

"How come you never told us?"

"I… thought I was strong enough to handle it on my own. I should've asked for help." She nodded.

"Is that why you didn't want to be expelled? You'd spend all day with your dad?" I sighed.

"That's the truth of it." In a totally un-Kitty like moment, she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me briefly. She let go, and her face was soft.

"I hope you know I'm not mad at you. I'm really sorry for everything."

"Don't worry about it, Kitty." She smiled before she entered the bathroom, and I walked back into the living room, where there was food and much conversation… everyone who talked to me avoided talking about the death. But that's all I really want to talk about right now. How much could have changed…

I know I'm a fool for wanting to talk about things that could've happened if he were alive still, but I just can't help myself. Things would have been so much different. At least Gar is here to help with that. Without him, I wouldn't be anything.

He walked up to me as I was standing outside in the rain. "Come in, Rachel. You'll get sick if you stay out here too long." I turned to him and frowned.

"God, how am I going to get through this? Gar, if he was so mean to me all my life, does it make sense I'm so sad?"

"Of course it does. What he said before he died is going to stick with you for the rest of your life, and you'll remember it when times get tough for you… and, y'know, I'll be here too…" he blushed as he took my hand. "For as long as you need me."

"Would you stay forever?" He leaned in close and whispered.

"Forever? I was hoping it could be longer." Before I could respond, he leaned in and kissed me.

"Okay… Gar, I think I can get through this with you by my side. I don't think I'll ever be able to thank you enough."

"Your presence is enough for me Rae. C'mon, let's go inside." I shook my head.

"I want to go home, Gar."

"Well, okay… Tara wanted to see you though."

"Oh." He led the way in the house and Tara was standing over the couch, chatting with Kori and Richard.

"Rachel, can I speak to you alone please?"

"Of course." She led me upstairs where no one would hear anything we spoke about.

"Rae. You should have told us."

"I know…"

"But you didn't. Let me guess… you were the fearless Rachel, and coming to ask anyone for help would've hurt your rep. Right?"

"Yeah…" I admitted shyly.

"Pride can do stupid things to one sometimes… I'm glad Rory's dead. The asshole deserved to die after all that shit he pulled. Er, anyway… Rae, remember, if you need anything at all, don't hesitate to ask me. I'm still your friend, so you can still be mine… right…?" I breathed in heavily.

"I guess you're right, but I'm going to need time to adjust. It might be a long time before we get back to the 'hanging out' part between us. I need a lot of time."

"It's alright, Rae. Have fun with Gar in the mean time, okay?"

"I will… thanks." She smiled at me and hugged me.

"Any time." We walked back down the stairs.

"Are you and Gar leaving now?" Richard asked.

"Yes, we are. Call tomorrow, okay?" I assured.

"Yeah of course I will. Kori's staying here tonight, and Vic will drive you home."

"He got his license?" Garfield asked with a tone of surprise in his voice.

"Yeah, he did. Anyway, we'll see you guys later." He leaned in close to me. "I'm gunna ask Kori out tonight," he whispered and winked. I nodded. Victor was waiting outside for us and the long drive back home began.

"You guys gunna be alright, right?" Victor inquired.

"Yeah… it will be a tough road but we'll get through it together. Right, Rae?" I smiled at him.

"Yes, we will."

"Good. I know you two are stronger than you look. You gunna take some more time off school?" Gar was quiet, waiting for my answer.

"No, I don't think we should. I've missed enough school as it is."

"What the lady said."

"Alright, glad I'll see ya in class tomorrow then. Anyway, this is your guy's stop. See ya."

"Later Vic."

"Bye." We got out of the car and proceeded up to Gar's apartment and he opened the door and allowed me. "Such a gentleman. Glad I got one."

"Heh… well, I do try to be as nice as I can."

"That's good, Gar. A lot of women want that in a man but not too many are smart enough to realize it."

"Well. I like it how I am one of the few."

"Garfield."

"Yes, Rachel?"

"What's with the equipment in your room?" That question has been bugging me for the longest time…

"Ehh, I'm a people watcher. It was to help me with my 'mission', but I used it more to watch people. It's entertaining."

"Oh, that's cool."

"Wow." I raised my eyebrow.

"What?" I asked.

"That's the first time I've heard you give such an un-interested answer all this time I've known you."

"Hmm, well I can't think of anything witty to say to it. You're lucky I don't mock you for that." He put up his hands.

"Hey, no need to mock me!"

"Right…"

We watched movies for the rest of the night, including Resident Evil and Borat. The rest of the week went by normally, with little mentions of my father and Rory. Fact is the whole school knew about it and his old ways. But it's all right, because no one was mean about it. No one wants to mess with me still to this day.

I've quit my smoking habit with lots of support from my great friends. It was a tough battle but I eventually passed the final test, which was being in a room with a bunch of smokers and resisting the urge to have one.

Gar and his uncle's relationship is nearly unchanged, but I've noticed that Melvin has been being less of a jerk than he normally has been recently, which is good in itself and for the school because it's slowly becoming half-decent. Gar doesn't speak of his parents. No one else knows about that stuff, and that's how it's going to stay.

Richard and Kori are dating. It's quite cute to see them together, I must admit. Kori is so energetic and hyper, and Richard is so serene and tense. It's good to see that she can loosen him up a little, and good to know that all my friends are around me and we can hang out together without any discomfort.

Victor found a girl, Nicole Diaz, and started dating her. The two have a lot of fights because Nicole is a thief and has little respect for people, but Victor is slowly showing her the wrong of her ways and she's slowly becoming that of a better person, kind of like me and Gar.

Tara and Kitty… the strangest thing had happened between the two. Well, they are slowly starting to be nicer, but I don't think they'll ever be completely changed. The strange thing is that the two are dating. I couldn't believe it when I heard the news. It certainly is a good thing. The two seem like quite the opposites… it's funny, really. I remember Kitty having a crush on Richard at one point in time. She almost asked him out, too…

At least everyone in my life has someone they can go to, to spend time with alone and to appreciate for who they are. I'm glad everybody got someone, because it would be unfair if one person were to be left without someone.

"Gar?"

"Rae?"

"Do you think we'll be together forever?"

"Forever and longer."

**A/N: Well... this is the end. I'm going to miss working on this. I hope you all enjoyed the end chapter, and the story altogether. I hope it was as climactic as I know you're probably expecting it to be... man, lots of fluff in this chapter. It took a while, didn't it? Ah... what does an author say at their end A/N? Thank you for reading my story, my first one to come to completion. Good night, and see you on my next story! (If you read it).  
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